[iNew V3] 900/2100 Review and first thoughts

[linr76]

so i received mine today. i am super happy with it. this phone is an absolute beauty. while not 6.5mm as advertised it's still very slim and light. the design looks as good as on the pictures. the black glass face contrasts very nice with the white and metal body.
the metallic buttons look and feel good.
In the box:
the phone, battery, wall-plug (white), USB to Micro USB data&charging cable (white), headset (white), manual, extra screen protector (one was already applied to the phone which i removed), flip case (white). i received as an extra for having to wait so long a crystal silicone case (the one which was already shown here) which is really nice, it almost adds no extra girth to the phone.
the silicone case also has integrated plugs for the USB and audio jack. the USB one is easy to open, the audio jack one sits so tight that you have to lift the whole case to get it out.

the phone is one of the 900/2100 WCDMA ones with v4.0 on the label.
original Firmware inew_v3e_v1.0.1 with baseband date 2014/02/15
camera shows 13MP (and its the highest setting, no 18MP interpolation), F2.0 reported in picture details (fake...) camera details CXQ V3-E
otg works right out the box.
nfc i will test tonight at home. the backplate (without red nfc label) has an extra "nose" that snaps in place next to the nfc contacts.
APN settings were read and applied correctly from both sim cards, 3G is switchable between both cards.
proximity and light sensor both work without problems.
no AIR-gesture settings in the menu (as expected)

general build quality is great, backcover sits flush on the phone, no gaps anywhere.
the plastic feels quite nice, but is not as good as on my samsung phones.
the led flash is bright, but also here nowhere near my Notes' flash (which is superawesome compared to most other phones though), its nearly on par with the flash on the Grand Duos.
Call quality is excellent, very clear and without any background noise. the earpice sounds a little tinny but perfectly audible.
the headset that comes with it is made nicely, its not the usual cheap crap. but its crap nonetheless, can be used to make calls but not much more. speaker is loud and clear. listening to music on headphones the audio quality is ok-ish, lacks bass and clarity but isn't too bad.
GPS works ok also, not perfect but its good enough to find an address on foot. (for "real" navigation i have a navigation system inbuilt in my car)
in comparison to the Samsungs which have also GLONASS its as fast to aquire a fix but not as accurate.
the WLAN is quite ok also, its about the same as my Galaxy Grand, the S3 and Note both have much better reception ( ithink this is a general problem with dual sim phones vs single sim)
i cant say much about GSM/WCDMA reception since i live in Zürich and there is practically no spot here where you have bad reception.

problems so far - home button is pretty screwed up, like with the lewa rom.
when the phone is placed on the table it works normal, in hand it requires a lot of effort to get it working (operating with the thumb does not work at all)
the backlighting of the touch buttons is uneven (brighter on the bottom) but this is barely noticable.

my verdict:
for 180USD including shipping and insurance this phone is truly amazing. my Samsung Grand Duos cost twice as much but is mediocre in comparison.

[marcel201]

Can you give me the site where you find to buy the 900/2100 version?

[guiom57]

hi, where are you buy your phone with 900/2100 ?

regards

guiom57

[linr76]

that i unfortunately cannot, its pure luck and only depending on which production run you will get.
kokuo here has mentioned that he ordered multiple devices and received a mixed shipment.
you could try to ask the store where you want to buy beforehand.
i suggest you try with one of our forum sponsors.

[guiom57]

wOUAHHHH
which answer !!! thanks for this.....

[kasandro]

I have bought mine from one of the shops and was suprised when 900/2100 came.
Two weeks later I asked same shop about this 900 version, and wanted to order another phone. They replied something like "dear friend, iNew V3 is 850/2100 only..."

Conclusion: it's a lottery, they don't know what they are selling (and they will not bother to look inside the box)

[GizBeat]

If you're ready to purchase, admin can confirm availability of 900/2100 with our sponsors prior to ordering. Please contact [email protected] . It may take a day or two extra because the shop will need to receive and confirm prior to shipping out.

Thanks for this first thoughts linr. This is your second v3, or am I remembering incorrectly.

For the home button, try to hold with just the very tip of finger or thumb. It made a big difference for me with v3.

[Burs]

Conclusion: it's a lottery, they don't know what they are selling (and they will not bother to look inside the box)

And on top of that, all those people with enabled wcdma900 band in engineer mode - that doesn't mean anything. If you don't have 900/2100 bands written on the sticker below the battery, then it's not wcdma900-capable. Some shops also flash new 1.0.1 firmware (900/2100) on old 850/2100 phones, so wcdma900 band on this "frankenstein phone" is for eyes only, since it clearly won't work because of the hardware changes between these batches.

[GizBeat]

Yes, engineering mode means little in regards to whether the phone physically has a radio that can receive a given freq. Any phone confirmed by our sponsors will 'have the sticker', not try to trick you by flashing as you've mentioned. If in doubt, please contact CPA admin prior to ordering.

[linr76]

hi me again - this is my first iNew V3. i figured out how to operate the home button more reliable. takes some getting used to but its ok.

the 900 band isnt much use for me because where i live only 2100 is used. but i guess it will come in useful when i am travelling.

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btw - i bought this phone as a stop gap until the new 64bit Mediatek CPUs come around in q3/q4, but from what i can see now this phone could stay with me a bit longer than expected....