Smartphone BQ-5300G Velvet View: an overview of the device with its advantages and disadvantages

BQ Mobile is a Russian company with factories in China, which entered the market in 2014. She is known for the production of budget models of smartphones, some of which quite often fell into the ratings of quality ones. The company pursues a moderate pricing policy to make gadgets available to people of any income.

Among the products there are options with a simple and laconic design, as well as very original models with extended functionality. The most popular BQM models are: BQ-5516L TWIN with FullHd screen, BQ-5512L STRIKE FORWARD with a large amount of built-in memory and a good camera and BQ-5301 STRIKE VIEW, attractive for its appearance.
The range of prices for goods from the manufacturer is from 3-4 to 15-17 thousand rubles. Below we will talk about another interesting device from the brand - BQ-5300G Velvet View.

BQ BQ-5300G Velvet View smartphone review

Design

The body type is classic and made of plastic. It looks and feels very heterogeneous and resembles bubbles. On the back surface you can see the rear camera and LED-backlight allocated in an oval. Below them is the name of the company, and at the very bottom edge is the name of the model and the speaker. There is no fingerprint scanner. The back surface itself is rough and patterned. The smartphone is comfortable in the hand.

Above the display on the front side are the earpiece and the front camera with a flash. The screen itself, unlike the latest models of smartphones from different manufacturers, is flat. It does not run down to borders. The bezel between the display and the edges of the screen is not too large.

The power on / off button and the volume rocker are on one side - the right. This is convenient, since you can use your thumb to press the keys, but when switching blindly, you can make a mistake and press the wrong one. On the top side of the case there is a headphone jack and a USB port for charging. On the bottom is a microphone.
The color palette is wide: green, gray, cyan, violet, red, orange, magenta and black.
Dimensions: 146.5x72x10.1 mm. Weight is 152 grams.

Screen

Color TN with multitouch option. A good diagonal of 5.34 inches provides an image size of 960x480 dpi sufficient for an average smartphone with a density of 201 pixels per inch. The picture quality is good.The detail, clarity and sharpness of the image are average, but for a budget model with an average price of 4000 rubles it will come down. The color depth is 24 bits, that is, there are 256 possible tints and tones. This is enough for normal photography.

The screen is covered with a protective glass, but there are no additional oleophobic coatings (thanks to which there would be no fingerprints on the surface).

operating system

The gadget runs on software from Android 8.1 Oreo Go Edition. It differs from its previous versions by the structure of the OS and the optimized size of the applications embedded in the smartphone. This can significantly reduce the download time of files.

This software is a lite version of Android 8 Go. It takes up little space on the built-in memory and this is a good advantage of a smartphone.

Processor characteristics

CPU (central processing unit)

4-core with ARM Cortex-A7 chip, powered by Mediatek MT6580M clocked at 1300 MHz. It processes information quickly, so the smartphone responds to commands quickly enough. According to the owners, there were few “glitches” and “sticking” or they were all not so scary. Some, however, said that the phone is not as smart as they would like.

GPU (graphics processing unit)

Dual-core processor on ARM Mali-400 MP2 chip. It is considered obsolete, so the performance is lower than desired.

The amount of RAM of the GPU is small at 0.5 GB.
The built-in memory is 8 GB, which is also not much.
There is a slot for memory cards for up to 64 GB.

If we talk about whether this device is intended for gaming, then most likely not, it does not fit. It can be used to play simple games that do not overload the GPU's RAM. You cannot install augmented reality applications on a device either - the processor is not designed for this.

Cameras

The rear camera takes pictures with a resolution of 5 MP. You can't do professional photography with such a device, but for normal use it will do. The camera settings are no different from many other models, and this is also one of the reasons for such a low price for it. The camera also shoots video in 720p @ 30 fps, which is also quite acceptable for non-professional shooting.
The front camera shoots photos at 1.9MP and videos at 480p @ 30fps.
Both cameras have flash and autofocus, which is a smartphone's strength.

Communication

For mobile communications, the standard for Russia connection is used - GSM 800/850/900/1800/1900 and 3G. Satellite navigation is carried out by GPS and GLONASS. The connection to Wi-Fi is via Wi-Fi 802.11n interfaces. For wireless data transfer, the smartphone has Bluetooth.

The smartphone does not support the fourth generation, that is, 4G and LTE, so some users do not like it.
Some indicate that the device has an A-GPS app. It sends signals to multiple satellites, thereby increasing the accuracy of positioning.

SIM card

The device supports Dual SIM technology, whereby both cards are in call standby mode. This is convenient, since it is possible to switch the receiving SIM card without disconnecting the device itself. Now this technology has already become firmly established in all models of smartphones, even the most budget ones.
The type of cards is micro-SIM.

Battery

Its capacity is average - 2150 mAh. This is enough for 8-12 hours of continuous intensive use. Under moderate loads, it may last for a day, but in comparison with other models on the market, this is not so much. Generally speaking, the device is strongly tied to an outlet. You have to constantly monitor the battery charge, which is very inconvenient.

USB

Wired communication version 2.0. This is an old technology dating back to 2000. Now there is a newer version on the market - 3.0, through which data can be transmitted in two directions. In the case of USB 2.0, data is transferred in one direction only, but for smartphones more is not necessary.
The cable is connected to the device via a mini-USB port.

Media

Audio is stored in MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA formats. Video to MP4, AVI and others.

Other functions

The device has built-in radio, voice control and voice dialing.

Equipment

The delivery set is as modest as possible - directly a smartphone, a silicone case, charging, a warranty card and instructions. Due to such a small package, the cost of the product was also reduced.

Outcome

• Low average price - 4000 rubles;
• standard functionality acceptable for everyday use;
• smart enough (if you do not set difficult tasks);
• autofocus;
• screen diagonal 5.34 inches;
• chips MediaTek MT6580M (quad-core) and ARM Mali-400 MP2 (graphics);
• rich colors.

• Can't take pictures in bright sun;
• photographs poorly at night;
• small battery capacity;
• suitable only for simple games;
• small amount of RAM - only 512 MB;
• modest built-in memory of 8 GB, most of which is occupied by embedded applications;
• budgetary in appearance;
• dim display;
• low productivity;
• works well with third-generation networks, but the fourth (4G) no longer supports;
• lack of oleophobic and anti-reflective coatings;
• problems with autofocus;
• the screen cannot recognize more than two simultaneous presses;

The phone is included in the rating of the most budget-friendly and that, in general, says it all. For its price category, it has a good set of functions, but it is not suitable for games on the device. Excellent views from a 5 MP camera definitely cannot be captured, especially since some consumers point to severe problems with autofocus. The small battery capacity, even in battery saving mode, does not allow using the device for more than a day.

Overall, this smartphone is very average. Many features meet the needs of the average consumer, but poor performance, short battery life cancel out everything.
User reviews say that this smartphone is good for a child, but people who actively use the device and need higher performance will not like it.

Where can you buy profitably?

On the website of BQ Mobile, promotions are often held where you can buy a cheap phone. It is better to take the 5300G Velvet View model there, as in this case good quality is guaranteed. You can look at Aliexpress, but the price will be about the same. On other sites, the cost is also not much different.