Review of the children's smartphone INOI kPhone (INOI 5i Lite)

Nowadays it is difficult to imagine your life without a mobile phone. Smartphones for children are not only a way to stay in touch with their parents, but also a toy.

Most parents will support the idea that an inexpensive smartphone is quite suitable for a child. This is especially true for younger students who are able to quickly "kill" a new gadget. Therefore, budget models of no more than 5,000 rubles will be ideal for them.

The tested smartphone of the Russian manufacturer INOI kPhone was created taking into account both the ease of management and the provision of additional control services to parents.

Package and design

INOI kPhone is packed in a small box made of thick cardboard with bright inscriptions on the sides “INOI kPhone”. The box opens quite difficult (you can see this in the video below).

The package includes the smartphone itself, a protective silicone case with a bright print, a charger and USB cable in the corporate purple color, a user manual and subscription flyers, which we will discuss below.

By the way, on the manufacturer's website, you can order a case for INOI kPhone with your own design. You can upload any image - a cover will be made with it and sent to the recipient.

The phone is available in several colors: red, gold, blue and black. Made a smartphone in the classic candy bar form factor. The body is assembled superbly, there is no hint of even the slightest backlash.

Dimensions are quite compact. They are 147x71x9 mm and weigh 166 grams.

The back cover of the model is removable. Under the cover there is a removable battery, two compartments for SIM and a slot for microSD memory cards up to 32 GB. In the center of the back cover there is a chrome-plated manufacturer's logo. Above is a camera block with two lenses and an LED flash. Below is the speaker grill.

The arrangement of mechanical keys and connectors can be called traditional. On the right are the chrome volume rocker and the Power button, which are equally thin but differ in length. There is a microphone below. MicroUSB and a standard 3.5 mm jack for headphones were placed on the top end.

This model cannot boast of a complete lack of bezels on the screen, but the smooth lines of the curved 2.5D glass give the smartphone an expensive look. There is a small edging around the perimeter, which will protect the display from scratches and chips.

Fashion screen

The INOI kPhone has a bright 5.5-inch HD IPS screen with an 18: 9 aspect ratio. Longer screen proportions not only improve design but also have practical uses. Narrow bezels will bring more enjoyment when watching videos, photos or surfing the internet.

The viewing angles are wide. The image on the screen is clear, pleasant color reproduction. The touch layer responds well to pressing. You can turn on the function "Adaptive brightness" - then the brightness level will automatically adjust to the external conditions.

Cameras

Today, to find a phone without cameras, you need to try. Babies can get by with a satisfying camera. But for older children, having a good camera will be a sore point. Parents must accept the fact that children of our time cannot do without social networks, selfies and numerous pictures.

INOI kPhone has a dual 8MP camera on the back, which allows you to take excellent portrait and panoramic photos. I was very surprised and pleased with macro photography! The smartphone is preinstalled with the Google Drive application with an additional 15 GB cloud storage space with the option of expanding.

The front camera has a 5MP resolution.

Specifications

The phone supports two SIM-cards, has a large screen with the ability to connect the Auto-Rotate function. The presence of a capacious, replaceable 2850 mAh battery together with an energy efficient processor will allow you to stay connected longer.

INOI kPhone was equipped with a quad-core MediaTek MT6580 chipset with a clock frequency of 1200 MHz. The graphics accelerator is slow, but the smartphone copes with both undemanding games and demanding fighting games, such as Tekken, World of Tanks Blitz and Mortal Kombat X. On the manufacturer's website, you can see an updated list of supported games.

Performance and software

The INOI kPhone smartphone is built on the basis of the modern version of the Android 8 Go operating system, in which background processes are reduced. This is a big plus for budget smartphones with 1 GB of RAM.

The main screen displays four quick access tabs with a selection of children's applications by type: "Education", "Games", "Books", "Video". The tabs contain preinstalled applications that you can install and uninstall unnecessary. Educational programs are selected for different ages: there are both for schoolchildren and toddlers who can develop their reading, numeracy and speech skills. The pre-installed games are not only entertaining, but also educational in nature. The collection of children's apps will appeal not only to parents, but also to children.

As bonuses, an INOI kPhone customer receives a one-month subscription to their favorite cartoons from the ivi online cinema; a monthly subscription to the online school for grades 3-11 "Foxford Textbook", which gives access to materials on thousands of topics of the school curriculum and a simulator for testing knowledge; and 30 children's books as a gift from "Liters".

The main screen displays a voice assistant with artificial intelligence Alice from Yandex. The child can talk to him, ask him to tell a story or answer a question of interest.

When the virtual world sucks in your child, you start to think about safety. The INOI kPhone children's smartphone has a complete set of parental controls: notifications to parents about the location of the child, the ability to listen to sounds around the child, surge protectors, battery control and much more.

Google's Family Link software allows you to take full control of your child's phone from your Android or iOS smartphone. Parents will be able to limit the amount of time they use the phone or set up a sleep schedule based on lessons to keep their child from being distracted. Set up a safe Internet search and set the age limit for your account (16+, 18+). Parents will be able to remotely approve or reject the installation of new applications from their smartphone.

If the child needs to put a silent mode on the phone, then as a result, it may not be possible to get through to him. Familiar situation? But thanks to the correct parental control settings in INOI kPhone, you can reach it with a loud ringtone even in vibration mode.

Also find out the time of using a particular program. "Family Link" allows you to connect to the INOI kPhone microphone and listen to what is happening around the child.

If you nevertheless allowed your child to use the phone without restrictions, then playing too much, your little one can "drain" the battery.But through the "Family Link" application, you can remotely monitor the battery level.

In the application "Where are my children" you can see the history of the child's movements during the day and his location in real time, as well as the number of minutes in a particular application. The smartphone manufacturer gives a free lifetime subscription to this app.

All "controlling" software is built into the firmware and cannot be removed, even if the child really wants it.

The smartphone is preinstalled with a proprietary INOI application, where the user can use service support, find answers to frequently asked questions, chat with a specialist, order accessories and find information about the nearest service center, which are open throughout Russia.

Sound

INOI kPhone supports Hi-Res audio codec for listening to music through wireless headphones.

Video review

Conclusion

INOI kPhone is a worthy representative of children's smartphones! Perfect for kids of all ages, it looks pretty stylish thanks to its large screen and bright case. Of course, not all children will enjoy parental control, but adults will appreciate it.

Also, the pluses include the presence of a lightweight operating system Android 8 Go.

INOI smartphones are distinguished by high-quality assembly and good ergonomics.

• large bright screen;
• the presence of a lightweight operating system Android 8 Go;
• educational content for children and parental control applications;
• high-quality assembly.

The disadvantages include 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of built-in memory. Also, not everyone will like the rear camera noticeably protruding above the body. But this can be easily solved with a cover. There is also a problem with displaying contacts: SDN numbers cannot be hidden. The settings only have the ability to sort.

• 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of built-in memory;
• SDN numbers cannot be hidden.

For a price not exceeding 5,000 rubles, the INOI kPhone smartphone can be forgiven for its shortcomings, yet we are considering a budget gadget.

Finally, a few frames from the front camera:

Frame from the front camera

Frame from the front camera