InnJoo i1S? that doesn’t sound like the name of a phone, obviously not what I can ever think of, but seriously it is. InnJoo is a Dubai based mobile device manufacturer that wants to ensure you get a smartphone with above the average features at a very low price. Believe me what got my attention was the Android kitkat and the incredible price tag of N14,000.
That was where the curiosity began. I got more surprised when a friend called me up asking if he could buy the phone in computer village because he was told the phone has been sold out after attempting to buy online and even calling Jumia customer care line. Really??? Well, the phone is exclusively sold on Jumia.com.ng
Jumia says InnJoo is the highest selling phone in Dubai so I decided to check out what is in the box. As juicy as the deal sounds, the phone obviously has some slack.
The InnJoo i1S is a 5 inch, dual SIM Android device with a premium look and feel. It by far outpaces other smartphone within its price range with its design and features. The pack itself is so sexy that that it looks like a perfect gift for valentine’s day…
Design
The InnJoo is reasonably thin, plastic build with smooth curves at the edges, the is also a metal lining that runs round the side of the phone making it look beautiful. The 5 inch size, the cool build make its fit perfectly in the hand and makes handling a lot easier.
All the physical buttons (power and volume buttons) are on the right hand side, the 5MP camera, flash, the loud speaker and the InnJoo boldly written lies at the back of the phone back of the phone has a InnJoo boldly written. The top of the phone carries tha headphone jack and the USB charging port.
Display
The InnJoo i1S has a 5 inch IPS display screen which delivers a clear, bright and sharp view while playing games, reading, watching movies, Its not a Gorilla glass so it is very liable to light scratches. The resolution lies at a low 854 x 480 pixels, not full HD with fair viewing angles that clocks at an approximate 178 degrees.
Camera and Camera features
Things got a bit edgy at this point, there is a 5MP camera with flash and a front facing 0.3MP front facing camera. The 5MP camera and the LED flash isn’t so fantastic (but not sooo.. bad). Taking pictures outdoor just delivers an average photo quality but you need not worry, it definitely looks good on the phone’s display. Low light picture is a no go area so u had better position yourself in a position with enough lighting. Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) is absent here so I’d advice that you avoid movement when taking pictures
There isn’t much to say about the camera features, only a few interesting features that we have seen on other phones anyway, its just impressive to have them packed into it for 14k. There is the HDR mode, voice capture that allows the camera automatically snap a picture when you say ‘capture’ or ‘cheese’. Smile shot worked well also, the camera detects a smile on your face and automatically takes a picture.
Performance
The i1S is powered by the latest Android 4.4 KitKat Android OS which delivers faster multitasking and automatic prioritization of your contacts based on the people you talk to the most.
Enhanced capabilities is also achieved with the 1.3GHz Quad core processor, the phone powers on very quickly. Switching between apps and browsing the internet is way smooth. It also comes with pre-installed apps such as the InnJoo Store where you can search and download apps, Docs To Gofor word processing.
Battery
Battery is a removable lithium with 1900mAh capacity. The battery life of this phone is a big lag, I suspected that at first when I saw the battery capacity plugged at 1900mAh and powering a Quad core processor. Here we are, the battery really disappoints even under average daily use, I charge the device twice daily to ensure I keep rolling. I also found out that the battery drains faster with games and videos.
Memory
The InnJoo i1S comes with a 1GB of RAM and an 8GB of internal memory. It is also suprising that about 0.89GB only is allocated for apps as it didn’t take a long time before It got exhausted after I installed a few favorite apps. Well there is a consolation with an expandable memory upto 32GB with a memory card and you can move some of these apps into the memory card in order to free up some space.
Now there is a concern and I do not know if anyone observed it too. The specs sheet of the InnJoo reveals an 8GB of internal memory but the volume available on the phone is about 6GB. Not sure whether the remaining has been kept as reserve…… see pictures below
THE GOOD AND THE BAD
Having said a lot about the device, here are a few pros and cons we might not have captured.
It is important to know that at a price tag of N14,000, the InnJoo makes a good bargain and wont stress your pocket. Interesting features such as wirelessly casting your phone display onto a TV commands a great deal of respect from other smartphones within the same range. Also for people who find it hard to subscribe for data plans on their mobile, you might want to give the InJoo a consideration because you can make use of the internet connection on your PC and continue to feel fly.
The major setbacks apart from the battery are:
– The phone does not come with a headset, very strange in the smartphone industry.
– Even if you decide to use another headset/earpiece, naaa its just distorted
– Just a single boring ringtone, no other ringtone option except you decide to use the music on your device.
– Low internal storage allocated to apps.
– Proximity sensor is so inconsistent.
Remember that all these shortcomings can be forgiven only for one reason……the PRICE and the InnJoo i1S is not a bad option at all.