The local smartphone market is getting crowded this
year with several new players wanted to stick something on the wall. For a
local company to be noticed, it needs to have a game-changing product that will attract consumers’ attention in either the value-for-money or high
performance categories.
Happy Mobile is a vibrant brand that started to cater uniquely categorized products in both entry-level and mid-range platforms. Now, it is offering the D-Lite 2 Plus, an entry level 5-incher that breathes in style. If you’re fashion-forward and trying to retire your feature phone for a smartphone, join us as we check what Happy Mobile has on the table.
Happy Mobile is a vibrant brand that started to cater uniquely categorized products in both entry-level and mid-range platforms. Now, it is offering the D-Lite 2 Plus, an entry level 5-incher that breathes in style. If you’re fashion-forward and trying to retire your feature phone for a smartphone, join us as we check what Happy Mobile has on the table.
Happy Mobile D-Lite Plus 2 Review: Design and Construction
Happy Mobile is marketing the handset with its metal
frame. Like any other local handsets today wherein metal is the new choice for
exquisiteness. The D-Lite Plus 2’s metal wraps around its edges giving a
chamfered finish. The corners on the handset are filleted making it easy on the
eyes.
Flipping the device, you’ll see that the handset is
well-built. The back panel is made of plastic which mimics the feel of silky
rubber. It’s also slightly curved so that it could nestle perfectly in the
hands. What’s interesting is that the panel features a removable cover for
battery and SIM card swapping. The box also comes with snap-on flip cover for the
D-Lite Plus 2.
The speaker grill is housed at the back just below
the Happy Mobile branding. On the upper left are the 5MP camera and the LED
flash. The sides are also employed in a no nonsense design. The power button is
placed where it should be for a 5-incher, on the right side below the volume
rocker.
The top side houses the 3.5-mm audio jack and the
microUSB port for charging while the left side is void of buttons unlike the
bottom side which has the microphone. All in all, the handset’s design makes
handling easier. It is thin, light and shaped just right for its size.
Display
Happy Mobile D-Lite Plus 2 does not come with an HD display; our benchmark test suggests that our review unit only packs
540 x 960 pixels resolution. This means that it only falls to quarter HD or
qHD. However, categorization aside, the handset’s display is also one of its
points comparing to other sub Php 3K smartphones.
The viewing angles are very welcoming even at oblique
point-of-views. The smartphone’s display is very critical in every handset’s
feature set due to the fact that users interact more with screen panels than
any other parts of the device. And
D-Lite Plus 2’s display is a breath of fresh air – I had no issues with its
touch responsiveness just like the capacitive buttons underneath the display.
Color register is on point with great contrast. There’s
no auto brightness feature though. The latter is tolerable.
Camera
The Happy Mobile D-Lite Plus 2 employs a 5-megapixel
sensor in its main camera. Though it may not be astounding, the Plus 2’s shooter is just right if you just wanted to capture some
random point-and-shoot moments. Check out some sample shots below.
The front facing camera produces better than average
shots compared to devices at this price standpoint.
Performance
The Happy Mobile D-Lite Plus 2 ticks with a MediaTek
MT6572 with a dual core processor coupled with a gigabyte of RAM. The hardware
may be old but the company infuses the Android 5.1 Lollipop to make things brighten
up a bit in terms of performance. In my time with the D-Lite Plus 2, I have
experienced occasional app crashes and lags. Nevertheless, the handset always
gets the job done. And when I say job, I mean non graphic-intensive jobs.
The handset is gunned for the entry-level market
wherein users are classified to be social media savvy. The D-Lite Plus 2
actually fits into these users’ device requirements. Games like Clash Royale
runs smoothly with the device. Streaming audio title via Spotify is also a
worthwhile experience with the handset.
Benchmarks and Software
In our Quadrant Benchmark, the Happy Mobile D-Lite Plus
2 scores a passable 3527 points. The benchmark’s device leaderboard suggests
that it’s a step higher than the Motorola Atrix 4G.
The D-Lite Plus 2 also comes with an interesting skin on top of the Android 5.1 Lollipop. Navigating the interface from the homescreen to different panes registers smoothly. The ChangeSkin app also “automagically” changes your theme into another random skin upon tapping the app.
Battery
The Happy Mobile D-Lite Plus 2 battery is quite
impressive. Considering the fact that it packs 2500 mAh of battery and smaller
hardware capacity to run, it certainly gives me more mileage than the usual
sub-3K handset. In our battery test, we have strained the battery for a series
of tasks over 3G.
After one hour of Clash Royale, 30 minutes of Spotify
streaming, an hour of browsing, three dozens of camera snaps, one hour of YouTube
and two hours of video playback, D-Lite Plus 2’s battery still registers 23
percent.
The Wrap
So can the Happy Mobile D-Lite Plus 2 grab the spotlight
away from other local brands? I say yes. For one, it comes with a perfectly
weaved feature set intended for a very practical Php 2,999 price standpoint.
Plus, it is a classy-looking phone with its svelte metal frame. It’s one of the
first sub-3K handsets to offer this kind of premium construction.
Where did it go wrong? Hardware. I think Happy Mobile
should have use at least a quad-core CPU. But that could’ve raised the price of
the handset. However, there is little to complain about this handset
considering that it is gunned in the entry-level department.
Like what I’ve said, if you’re in the market for a
smartphone to put your feature phones to rest, Happy Mobile got this pretty and
premium-looking smartphone for you.
Happy Mobile D-Lite Plus 2 Specifications:
5-inch qHD (540 x 960 pixels, 240ppi) IPS display
MediaTek MT6572
1.3 GHz dual-core CPU
Mali-400 MP GPU
1GB RAM
5MP rear camera
2MP front camera
4GB ROM, microSD support up to 32GB
3G/HSPA+
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS
Dual SIM/Dual Standby
Android Lollipop v5.1.1
2500mAh, removable
Dark Blue, Gold, Silver
Php 2,999
