UMi Z - The new UMi flagship
UMi Z teaser on the official UMi Mobile YouTube channel
Unibody design
Like the recently released UMi top models, the UMi Z also uses a metallic unibody design. The manufacturer promises "Dual 3D" housing edges that make the smartphone look even sleeker, as well as display edges that turn out slightly. We already know from previous models that Chinese smartphone manufacturers like to fool around with the term “bezeless”. The quality of workmanship, which UMi itself praised, should also be viewed critically. The UMi devices that we recently tested promised a lot, but were less convincing in terms of workmanship. We will only find out when the first test reports are published whether UMi has learned from the mistakes and whether the UMi Z will be better processed.
MediaTek Helio X27
The UMi Z will be the first smartphone to appear with the MediaTek Helio X27 released in early December. This SoC is not based on a new processor architecture, but joins the already released processors "Helio X20" and "Helio X25". Equipped with a total of 10 processor cores, which are divided into 2 Cortex-A72 cores (2.6GHz), 4 Cortex-A53 cores (2.0GHz) and 4 Cortex-A53 cores (1.6GHz), the Helio X27 offers a powerful overall package. The SoC's GPU is an ARM Mali-T880MP4 that clocks with a maximum of 875MHz. The processor is supported by 4GB of RAM. A 32GB flash memory is available for personal files and apps. Additional memory expansion using a microSD memory card is supported with up to 256GB. It should be noted, however, that the UMi Z only needs a so-called "hybrid slot", where you have to choose between the memory expansion and a second SIM!
The hardware equipment leaves a good impression on the data sheet. In practice, too, a powerful smartphone can be expected with the UMi Z, which is suitable for smooth and multitasking everyday use.
High-resolution main and front camera
Both the main and front cameras use a 13 megapixel Samsung S5K3L8 image sensor. The same image sensor has already been used in the UMi Plus, as well as in some models of the Xiaomi Redmi 3 and Note 4 series. The Samsung ISOCELL technology ensures extensive color fidelity even in poor lighting conditions. The MediaTek Imagiq ISP of the Helio X27 SoC enables high-resolution video recordings with up to 4K. In addition, the main camera is supported by a PDAF (Phase Detection Autofocus) and a laser focus. A quad-LED flash, which is attached next to the main camera, ensures the best possible illumination. The front camera, which should conjure up excellent selfies with the help of the additional "soft light LED", is particularly striking.
UMi Z - dual camera teaser
Battery, Fast-Charge and Other
UMi specifies the battery capacity of the UMi Z with 3.780mAh. This value "still" has to be taken with caution, as UMi has often given a higher value for the battery capacity, which was never understandable in the test report. With PE + Quick Charge technology, the battery should be fully charged after just 100 minutes and should run for two days with average use. The charging socket is a USB Type-C connection.
Below the display is a microarray 3D fingerprint scanner with which the smartphone can be unlocked in a very short time. A 3.5mm headphone jack is available. WiFi (802.11a / b / g / n) and Bluetooth 4.1 are available for wireless transmission. The usual network standards in this country from 2G to 3G to 4G are supported. GPS and an e-compass are also available, as well as a range of sensors, which are an acceleration sensor, a brightness sensor, a G-sensor, a gyroscope, a Hall sensor and a proximity sensor. When the UMi Z is delivered, Android 6 will be installed on the smartphone. UMi also promises an update to Android 7, which will be distributed OTA (Over The Air). UMi has not yet announced when the update will appear.
