Full review at http://www.redferret.net/?p=48587 . The THL 2015 is a typically solid style phone from a brand we've come to respect over the...
Full review at http://www.redferret.net/?p=48587 . The THL 2015 is a typically solid style phone from a brand we've come to respect over the years. Unlike many other budget manufacturers, THL don't go for flashy bits and pieces, their phones are instead designed to deliver real power and robustness in a practical format.nnThe specifications of the phone are pretty impressive. It comes with a 1.7Ghz octa-core processor, 2 GB RAM and 16 GB of storage, a 5 inch 1920x1080 full HD screen, 13 megapixel Sony rear camera, and a surprising 8 megapixel front camera, with dual SIM, dual Standby, microSD support up to 32GB, fingerprint security, full 4G/LTE, Android 4.4.4 and a good sized removeable 2700mAh battery.nnAs you'd expect with all that firepower on board, the phone really eats through the work, with no problems at all. And no over-heating. We tried games (Asphalt 8), maps and browsing on WiFi and 4G and it all went smoothly with the processor dealing with the demands impeccably. Again as with other of the latest generation MediaTek powered phones, we noticed that the previous glitches with GPS satellite lock on have gone completely, it's fast and stable.nnIn terms of performance, our Antuttu delivered a score of 38995, which is slightly less than others who have managed 40805 on this phone, but we're not going to quibble. The upshot is it performs like a phone twice it's price. And in terms of battery life we've been able to get at least a day and a half of normal use (a bit of browsing, a few calls and texts and some light game playing and satnav), and with light use this can go up to two days, which is not bad at all. nnThe other surprise is how well the fingerprint security works. It's super easy to set up from the integrated app, and once you've set up your selection of fingers and acquired them as unlock tools, you're set to go. It's a little fiddly at first when you're learning how to run your finger over the sensor (hint: you need to do long swipes to ensure reliable unlocking), but once you've done it for a bit, you soon get the hang of it. The sensor is not in as accesible place as the iPhone, since it's on the back, and you can find yourself squeezing the power button as you swipe with a right hand finger, but again you get used to the ergonomics after a while.nnConclusionnWe've been fans of the THL brand for a while now, mainly because the phones are really solidly built, well priced and designed to deliver great performance and value for money. This new handset does not dissapoint at all in this respect. It definitely won't win any prizes in a cool design competition, but if you're looking for a no-nonsense, fast, value priced 4G phone which will handle whatever you throw at it, then this should definitely be one of the phones on your evaluation list.nnOne of the other points about THL we should mention, is it's one of the very few budget handset makers which actually takes the time and effort to run OTA (over the air) firmware upgrades on its handsets. Our test THL 5000 for example, has delivered three OTA upgrades to the phone over the past few months, which is something no other brand has ever achieved in our experience. It's the mark of an operation which is thinking about its customers. nnPrice: $239.99 / £158.39nnFull review at http://www.redferret.net/?p=48587 Less
