Mobiistar X1 Notch is serious about looks: First Impressions

Mobiistar is starting the year with a bang by launching its latest budget smartphone X1 Notch and as the name suggests it does have a notch. The company has a reputation of launching ultra-affordable phones, which makes Mobiistar X1 Notch an upgrade to its strategy.

Mobiistar X1 Notch is priced at Rs 8,499 for 2GB+16GB model and Rs 9,499 for 3GB+32GB configuration, and available widely available in stores across the country. Mobiistar is winning hearts with the first-look factor, but if you wish to know more, here are the first impressions of one of the most beautiful budget phones available in India right now.

Before we get to that, take a look at the specifications of the phone or you can choose to jump right on to the review.

Display: 5.7-inch HD+ FullView display with 2.5D curved glass

Cameras: 13MP front and rear cameras with AI

CPU: MediaTek Helio A22 processor

RAM: 2GB/3GB

Storage: 16GB/32GB

Battery: 3,020mAh

OS: Android 8.1 Oreo

Add-ons: 4G VoLTE, dual SIM, dedicated microSD card slot, face unlock, fingerprint sensor

The spec-sheet of Mobiistar X1 Notch is pretty much the same as the other competitive phones in the price range. Let's take a look at how it feels.

Design

I'm all for good design in a smartphone and I must admit Mobiistar has gone beyond its comfort zone on the X1 Notch. The shiny rear panel has a gradient colour, which wonderfully shifts from green to gold and purple. It actually depends on the angles with which the light falls on the phone to give you a unique colour combination. For me, this has been quite convincing, considering the phone's budget price tag.

The notch, which is the talking point here, is inspired by the iPhone X, which is a safe decision, to say the least. Since I'm not a fan of notches, I find it a bit disappointing to not have an option to turn it off in the settings. In fact, it would have justified the name of the phone in more than just one way.

The X1 Notch's feel factor is quite comforting as well. It is not at all bulky or heavy and feels just right for single hand use. The power/lock button is placed on the right, which is well within reach, but the volume controls are placed above the power button instead of on the left side. I thought it would be inconvenient, but it's not too bad.

The dual SIM card slot with a dedicated microSD card slot (YES!) is on the right, while the speaker and microUSB port are found at their usual bottom spot. In case you're wondering, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack and a pair of decent earphones inside the box to go with it.

Display

The notch on the display is definitely stealing the attention, but I couldn't get my eyes off the chin, which is thick enough to show its presence. There are thin bezels on the sides, but the 2.5D curved glass does the trick of hiding them well.

The 5.7-inch display with HD+ resolution on a sub-Rs 10,000 phone is more than I could ask for and Mobiistar X1 Notch has got good viewing angles and can get really bright if you wish to use outdoors on a bright day. I have no complaints with the display, which comes with a screen protector right out of the box to keep those minor scratches at bay.

A glimpse at the camera

There's a 13MP sensor on both sides and I did a quick test with some indoor shots. Although it's unfair to demand much from a budget phone, Mobiistar X1 Notch is a decent performer. I like the fact that there's portrait mode, night mode and AI enhancements, even though some beautifications weren't impressive. There's a lot on board for selfie lovers here, and it's enough to keep their attention away from the missing details and oversharpening of images.

I will be testing the cameras more thoroughly over the coming days to share better insights.

There's more

I set up the fingerprint sensor and it seemed to work fine. There's a custom interface, which is simple and organised but hides a lot of bloatware. I found SwiftKey pre-installed, which is the one pre-loaded app I use and the rest are just eating up the memory for me. Out of 32GB storage, only 25GB is available for use, which means 7GB worth space is already taken by the system.

I will be testing the phone's performance, calls over 4G VoLTE, connectivity and battery life during my review. So stay tuned.