In fact, Elephone hasn't released a cheap smartphone for a long time. The brand, in the past, has always stood out for a series of low cost terminals, but with a really interesting design, and above all that aimed at recalling some more well-known brands.
Among these, some will remember Elephone S7, which recalled the shapes of the first Samsung smartphones with a curved display. This Elephone E10 Pro is slightly less original, but in the colors it has chosen to certainly recall those of Huawei, with a rear body that varies from light blue to purple. Here's what we think.
Unboxing and aesthetics
The opening of the package does not reveal any particular surprises, if not for the presence of a transparent soft cover that does not hurt. However, the terminal offers generous dimensions, and considering that it holds well in the hand even without a cover, in the opinion of the writer it is advisable not to enlarge it further with the thickness of the case.
The packaging is a bit scary, in the sense that it is quite large, compared to the average of the competitors. fortunately, opening the box you realize that the device falls within the now standard dimensions, albeit not too discreet. It measures 163.6 x 77.3 x 8.5mm and weighs 193 grams , although to be honest it felt like a slightly lighter phone.
As already mentioned, it holds well in the hand, not being slippery at all. On the front stands the large 6.55-inch display, interrupted only by the front camera, located in the upper left corner, set inside the display.
An element of originality in the display, not because it is totally new, but because it is difficult to find in a smartphone, is the side button for switching on and off which also acts as touch ID. Not only many brands have adopted this solution, although it certainly has its positive sides.
In such an inexpensive terminal, requesting an under-screen touch ID would have been absurd, with the certainty that it would certainly not have met expectations. The choice of a traditional fingerprint sensor made it possible to contain costs and present a key of sufficient quality.
Another aesthetic surprise, not too positive, but which still has an impact, is the rear maxi bump, which in the camera set recalls the one implemented by Samsung in its latest flagship Galaxy.
Finally, not least, the color: the rear recalls previous Huawei smartphones, with shades of color that go from blue to purple, even if the shades and reflections of light are not so refined and precious, as they were on Huawei.
Technical specifications
Here a clarification is immediately urgent. Despite the specifications reported on the mother site, as well as on the sales package, report an integrated 128 GB ROM memory, in ours we have found only 64 . Even testing the terminal with special applications on Google Play, under ROM 64 GB of memory were always assigned. We don't know if this is due to a pre-launch test unit, or if the manufacturer ultimately turned to a smaller memory to keep costs down.
Beyond that, here's what the data sheet says:
Beyond what the paper says, it is often everyday use that really describes a smartphone. In this, of course, the Elephone E10 Pro cannot, and does not work, miracles. There is some slight slowdown, nor uncertainty in switching from one app to another, as well as opening the simple dialer takes a few more seconds if the app is not present in multitasking. These are uncertainties that do not undermine the basic use of the device, and which must certainly be read together with the very low list price.
In any case, Elephone E10 Pro allows you to easily manage your mail, messaging apps, the Chrome browser to navigate, social media, casual games that do not require large computing powers. In short, it is a smartphone that allows the user to enjoy the Android ecosystem almost entirely, without certainly offering those top-of-the-range performances.
Touch ID works sufficiently, unlocking the terminal seven times out of 10, although it's not the fastest. The screen is instead enjoyable, despite the very wide diagonal, with a resolution “only” HD +. The colors are bright, and only in direct sunlight may the brightness level be insufficient. For a smartphone from around 130 euros, however, the panel is absolutely good and enjoyable, and allows you to also enjoy watching movies and TV series, without particular problems.
The audio is average, which is also sufficient and enjoyable. Usually, when it comes to low-end smartphones, the trend of speakers is to be cold and metallic.
Elephone E10 Pro in this is able to defend itself better than average, and only in the capsule we have recorded a volume that is not too high. The phone call, let's understand, takes place in an absolutely clear and crystalline way, but a slightly higher volume would certainly not have hurt.
We say this because, considering that it is a terminal that could be recommended especially for a more adult audience, the possibility of a higher volume on call would not have hurt.
Cameras
The painful part, when it comes to cheap smartphones, is always the multimedia one. It does not matter the number of cameras, nor the number of megapixels on the card. Fortunately, the presence of the Samsung GM1 chip helps in Elephone E10 Pro, even if we are certainly not talking about a camera phone.
In this context it is a terminal with few pretensions. Not that the photos are absolutely to be thrown away, indeed in the light of the sun you can take home some enough shots. In some shots, however, we have noticed areas where focus seems to be lacking, while in general the colors are very saturated, but still tending to dark shades.
There is not much precision in the captured color palette, as well as the level of detail does not appear to be excellent. Even in this case, however, these are gaps that can, and must, be justified on the basis of the list price. It's not a camera phone, but for 130 euros the photos are still nice, and certainly better than those of many other Chinese men in the same price range.
PRO
AGAINST
You can buy Elephone E10 Pro you can buy it on Banggood at a price of 129 dollars or on the Elephone online store for 149 dollars.
