While A-brands compete to fit the maximum number of cameras in their flagships and vying with each other to offer flexible devices, the main sales in the world are still in the budget segment, which digests all innovations slowly and selectively.
BQ Strike Power is a classic example of a budget device, in which everything conditionally superfluous is discarded: design delights, a powerful hardware platform or a dual camera. This is a traditional smartphone, in which the main bet is made on a capacious battery (5000 mAh).
The review presents two versions of Strike Power - they differ in hardware platforms (Mediatek MT6739 and Mediatek MT6580), as well as the presence of an LTE module in the older version, which is fixed in the name. Otherwise, these are completely identical externally and - for the most part - internally smartphones.
Technical specifications
| BQ Strike Power 4G (BQ-5514L) | BQ Strike Power (BQ-5514G) | ||
| Display | 5,45 inches, IPS, 1440 Γ 720 pixels, 295 ppi, capacitive, multi-touch | 5,45 inches, IPS, 1440 Γ 720 pixels, 295 ppi, capacitive, multi-touch | 5,5 inches, IPS, 1920 Γ 1080 pixels, 401 ppi, capacitive, multi-touch |
| Protective glass | No information | No information | No information |
| Processor | MediaTek MT6739ww: four ARM Cortex-A53 cores (4Γ1,5GHz) | MediaTek MT6580: four ARM Cortex-A7 cores (4Γ1,3GHz) | MediaTek MT6750T: eight ARM Cortex-A53 cores (4Γ1,6GHz + 4Γ1,0GHz) |
| Graphics controller | IMG PowerVR GE8100, 570 MHz | ARM Mali-400 MP, 416 MHz | ARM Mali T860MP, 650 MHz |
| RAM | 1 GB | 1 GB | 4 GB |
| Flash memory | 8 GB | 8 GB | 32 GB |
| Π Π°Π·ΡΠ΅ΠΌΡ | Micro USB, 3,5 mm | Micro USB, 3,5 mm | Micro USB, 3,5 mm |
| Memory card slot | There is | There is | There is |
| SIM cards | 2 Γ nano-SIM + microSD (separate) | 2 Γ nano-SIM + microSD (separate) | 2 Γ nano-SIM + microSD (separate) |
| Cellular 2G | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM / GPRS / EDGE |
| Cellular 3G | WCDMA 900 / 2100 | WCDMA 900 / 2100 | WCDMA |
| Cellular 4G | LTE Cat. 4 (150 Mbps, 50 Mbps), bands 1, 3, 7, 20 | No | LTE Cat. 4 (150 Mbps, 50 Mbps), bands 1, 3, 7, 20 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11b/g/n 2,4GHz | 802.11b/g/n 2,4GHz | 802.11 a/b/g/n 2,4/5 GHz |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| NFC | No | No | No |
| Navigation | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS |
| SENSORS | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass) | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass) | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass) |
| The fingerprint scanner | There is | There is | There is |
| Main camera | 13 MP, Ζ/2,0, autofocus, LED flash | 13 MP, Ζ/2,0, autofocus, LED flash | Dual module: 13 MP, Ζ / 2,2 + 2 MP, autofocus, LED flash |
| Front-camera | 8 MP, no autofocus, with flash | 8 MP, no autofocus, with flash | 8 MP, no autofocus, with flash |
| Food | Non-removable battery: 19 Wh (5000 mAh, 3,8 V) | Non-removable battery: 19 Wh (5000 mAh, 3,8 V) | Non-removable battery: 11,7 Wh (3080 mAh, 3,8 V) |
| Size | 146,5 Γ 71 Γ 10,4 mm | 146,5 Γ 71 Γ 10,4 mm | 154 Γ 77 Γ 8,2 mm |
| Weight | 175 g | 175 g | 154 g |
| Water and dust resistant | No | No | No |
| Operating system | Android 8.1 Oreo (Android Go) | Android 8.1 Oreo (Android Go) | Android 8.0 Oreo, native skin |
| Actual price |
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Design, software and ergonomics
Externally, BQ Strike Power is an example of a utilitarian approach to smartphone design. Of the features that are not quite typical for budget devices, we note an elongated 18:9 format display. It first appeared on smartphones two years ago, but still, such innovations do not penetrate quickly into the segment of models for 6-7 thousand rubles.
The rest is pure classics. The thickness of the case (10,4 mm) is dictated by the combination of a relatively small (5,45 inches) display and a very capacious battery. Large frames around the screen look a little archaic in the age of the pursuit of absolute framelessness, but BQ managed to bring not only the camera, but also the flash into the frontal plane.
The back is partially covered with a metal cover with plastic inserts at the top and bottom, necessary for the normal operation of the antennas. The lid, by the way, is slightly curved at the edges, due to which it is convenient to hold the smartphone in your hand. The overall dimensions of the BQ Strike Power (in fact, both devices under consideration - outwardly they do not differ in anything) - 146,5 Γ 71 Γ 10,4 mm. Yes, I have already said about the thickness, it is impressive, but otherwise it is a comfortable gadget to operate, it is quite possible to use it with one hand.
There is, however, an archaism that is unusual as of 2019 - the main speaker placed on the rear panel. If you place the device on a table with the screen facing up, the sound will be muted. The power of the speaker is enough to βbring the newsβ about the call to the next room, but if, for example, you watch some video on Youtube while doing something else, the situation is less pleasant.
Of the charms available today most often in budget smartphones, it is worth mentioning the mini-jack. Chasing fashion with the rejection of the 3,5 mm jack, creating a budget smartphone, is not appropriate: the mini-jack is in place. In this case, on the top panel.
There are five colors for each version: black, gray, silver, gold and red.
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Another point that has finally penetrated into the budget segment, along with metal in the design of the case, is a fingerprint scanner. This is a traditional capacitive sensor, which is located on the rear panel - in an ideal place for this, in my opinion, no matter how many different companies experiment with its location. It falls exactly under the index finger of either the left or the right hand - no need to intercept the smartphone to unlock it.
Source: 3dnews.ru