I have had so many smartphones in my hands, from high prices to super cheap ones. Today it's the turn of the brand new CUBOT X90, a brand that we have not explored much on the blog but that has actually existed for many years, increasingly refining its devices while maintaining faith in a high quality/price ratio. The new smartphone from the Chinese company is a true fusion between the so-called TOP OF THE RANGE devices and the mid-range ones, more accessible in terms of price, obtaining a perfect mix for the less demanding users but still wanting a high-performance terminal.
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[World Preview] CUBOT X90 Android 14 Smartphone, 6,67 inch 120Hz AMOLED Curved Display, 32GB RAM (16GB+16GB Extended), 256GB ROM,...
unboxing
Already starting from the unboxing experience, CUBOT X90 offers positive emotions. We find everything you need to start using your smartphone straight away, such as the pin for removing the SIM tray, manuals, and a protective cover for your smartphone made of transparent rigid plastic. Then we find the charger with 33W output with Type-C input but there is also a plastic protection for the smartphone glass, data transfer cable and dual Type-C charging. Only a pair of earphones are missing if we really want to be picky but overall we really have everything to start using our smartphone without shelling out additional euros. Companies like Apple and Samsung really have a lot to learn, don't you think?
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION QUALITY
Without a shadow of a doubt, this smartphone looks as beautiful as it is taken care of down to the smallest details. Definitely a cut above many other models on the market, standing out for its graceful lines and simple but highly resistant materials. In fact, we are talking about a structure completely made of polycarbonate, with a double-worked 3D back, i.e. the lower part in a matt monochromatic color while the rest of the body features a marble effect workmanship which also gives a beautiful play of light when hit by a 'direct lighting. The bump camera is also very nice, a sort of porthole in which 3 lenses and a single tone LED flash are inserted, slightly protruding but nothing dramatic.
Also on the front we find a 3D glass of which I cannot tell you the degree of resistance but in my tests, without using protection, I had no problems with scratches as well as having noticed a good anti-fingerprint treatment. However, there is no certification that guarantees resistance to dust and splashes of water while the colors available for this smartphone are 2, Yadan black and Yachuan green.
CUBOT The tapered shape of the edges that follows the curvature of the display and the back cover embellishes the grip and the spectacular finish of the device which on the front is expressed with the beauty of a large display curved at the sides and really well optimized and thin frames. The matte color and the treatment applied by the company on the back ensure that the terminal is always clean and never weighed down by fingerprints and dirt.
The left side gives space to the volume rocker while on the right we find the power button. The upper profile offers the microphone for reducing hiss on calls and the sensors dedicated to the automatic adjustment of the display brightness and the proximity sensor, which at first glance could be mistaken for an IR blaster. At the bottom there is the main microphone, the SIM slot capable of hosting 2 SIM cards in nano format but without the possibility of memory expansion and then the Type-C input for charging with OTG support and finally the speaker is a mono system .
DISPLAY
The CUBOT when to push the refresh rate to high values. 90 nits offered by this panel, which ensure excellent visibility under direct sunlight. Certainly the panel used on this CUBOT X6,67 is not among the best around but considering the selling price it is undoubtedly among the best equipped on a cheap smartphone.
HDR and Widevine L1 support are absent and instead stop at L3, so streaming viewing will not be in high definition, but we have a 3% DCI-P100 color profile with 10-bit color reproduction, making the multimedia experience truly immersive. At a software level, however, we have the possibility to calibrate colours, temperature and contrast and also take advantage of the blue light reduction function. I was able to benefit from the beautiful colors reproduced on the screen, continue my work productivity by checking emails, for example, even in direct sunlight, scroll through the offers offered on our Telegram channel in an always fluid manner.
Unfortunately, good visual content is nothing if there is no excellent audio to support it and here on the CUBOT smartphone, you can hear the absence of stereo sound although I must admit that what the single speaker offered was decidedly valid, with a good amount of volume and bass to go with it. Perhaps the presence of a 3.5 mm jack would have sweetened the pill but we cannot expect much given the very low purchase price of the terminal. However, I appreciated the audio in the capture by the microphones, especially in recording videos, obtaining a track ready for use but above all the fact that they are equipped with noise reduction technology, allowing crystal clear conversations and the recording of audio notes of high quality. There is no AOD function except as a screen saver during the charging phase.
SOFTWARE AND CONNECTIVITY
Over time, CUBOT has certainly not always stood out for its support in terms of updates, but a smart move was to equip this X90 with the latest Android 14 system with patches updated in May 2024, all without inserting bloatware or particular functions, practically leaving stock system, which basically makes the experience of using the device super fluid and not at all heavy. I was really impressed by the daily management, making everything very streamlined and easy.
Basically we are talking about a pure Android system, with few customizations by the brand, such as the possibility of virtually increasing the RAM by a further 16 GB and the DuraSpeed function to optimize the phone's performance.
In terms of connectivity, there is a 2.4/5.0 GHz WiFi module, complete GPS with the possibility of connecting to Galileo satellites, Dual 4G connectivity with good peak speeds, NFC sensor for mobile payments and Bluetooth 5.2. Only the FM RADIO is absent but the possibility of recording calls is already present in the Google dialer. I must point out that apart from the presence of band 20, the band aggregator does not allow (at least in my case) to connect to the 4G+ signal.
EXPERIENCE OF USE AND AUTONOMY
Spending entire weeks in the company of CUBOT The fingerprint reader is very fast, located under the display with super top-of-the-range biometric recognition, but face recognition also occurs quickly. The haptic feedback is also pleasant and then all the sensors work without problems, the brightness sensor is well calibrated and we have a physical proximity sensor, so no problems on calls, avoiding pushing home keys with your cheek.
But it is undoubtedly the hardware used that gives that boost without overdoing it. Under the hood of CUBOT LPDDR90 and 2024GB of non-expandable UFS 2022 storage. As already mentioned, in terms of RAM we can virtually add 99 GB although I personally have not used this function as the basic phone is already able to offer an excellent experience.
With these specifications, the performance is clearly not at a high level, but the X90 is able to cope with daily operations without problems even in the most demanding apps. In gaming, combined with the high refresh rate offered by the display, this smartphone becomes a beast of power without ever overheating or skimping on the frame rate. In short, CUBOT has demonstrated that it is not necessarily necessary to integrate last-second hardware, but it is enough to know how to optimize them in the best possible way to obtain amazing performance.
CUBOT So much power might lead you to think that you will always have to be connected to a power socket to manage autonomy, but in reality the battery equipped on the X90 is 90 mAh, quite large if we consider the reduced thickness and this is more than sufficient take you in the evening or even the next day, depending on your use. In any case we can count on a 5100W fast charge. Naturally we don't have wireless charging included but personally I don't find it a major absence, quite the opposite in fact. Finally, for lovers of statistics, over 33 hours of active screen are obtained without any particular problems with at least a good 6% of residual charge.
CAMERAS
Generally one of the aspects that disappoints on smartphones is the performance of the photographic sector, often pumped up by numbers in terms of MP. Can you believe that on the CUBOT X90 we have photographic and video performance that is clearly superior to expectations? I don't want to instill in your thoughts that this device is a camera phone, but I can however tickle your imagination by saying that you can install a GCam for MediaTek's G99 processor, although for the sake of review, the sample photos that I will provide you were all taken by stock phone camera.
First of all, the actors of this paragraph are a 100 MP main camera, f/1.9, a sensor with quad pixel technology and omnidirectional PDAF focusing. We then find a 16 MP ultrawide camera with 117° FOV and 5 MP macro optics as well as a 0.3 MP sensor used exclusively as a depth/light sensor, while on the front, inserted in the punch hole, the camera is located 32MP selfie.
STOCK CAMERA on the left GCAM on the right
Unfortunately we do not find optical stabilization on board but only digital in addition to the fact that the videos reach a maximum of 2.7K at 30 fps but even at 1080p the fps stop at 30. The stabilization is present in a digital manner but the videos are still trembling. The focus is good although it is not very fast and above all the transition is not cinematic but decidedly clear. We don't find many functions included in the software but everything needed for photos and videos is present and easily reachable, such as the HDR function which in certain scenarios really saved the memory I wanted to immortalize.
Overall we are not talking about prize-winning photos, but with a good, steady hand you can come up with some good shots to keep in your heart's archive. The colors are quite natural and the presence of details is more than satisfactory. Even selfies are not to be underestimated even in portrait mode which was quite natural. The night mode, however, did not satisfy me and overall shots in really unfavorable lighting conditions are to be avoided.
[World Preview] CUBOT X90 Android 14 Smartphone, 6,67 inch 120Hz AMOLED Curved Display, 32GB RAM (16GB+16GB Extended), 256GB ROM,...
CONCLUSION
CUBOT X90 can be purchased directly on AliExpress with free shipping at a price of 203 euros, even if the early bird price was 163 euros. It is an excellent smartphone, extremely reliable and effective in everyday use, allowing you to also push yourself into more niche areas, such as gaming. Honestly I find the price very relevant. With CUBOT X90 you will never have the feeling of having a product in your hands that doesn't find its place in the crowded smartphone market.
