OUKITEL K4000 Plus review: Solid device with great battery that won't let you down

We got to spend some time with another new smartphone from the Chinese smartphone manufacturer OUKITEL, which has managed to grab the eyeballs of tech enthusiasts around the world by launching some really interesting devices over the past few years.

The device we are talking about here is the OUKITEL K4000 Plus, a new budget phone with a price tag of as low as $85 (around Rs. 5,500) in AliExpress.com. The OUKITEL K4000 Plus is the entry-level model in the "K series" family, which includes the more powerful K10000 Pro and K6000 Plus.

We've noticed during our review period that the K4000 Plus has some nice things going for it, making the device slightly over-qualified for the entry-level smartphone segment. If you are looking for decent performance and durability while on a tight budget, the OUKITEL K4000 Plus won't let you down.

Find out why we think so in our OUKITEL K4000 Plus review:

Key specifications

The OUKITEL K4000 Plus comes with a dimension of 71.6 x 144.5 x 10.8 mm and weighs 215 grams. It features a 5-inch display with a 1280 x 720 resolution, and is powered by a MediaTek MT6737 quad-core processor. The handset is equipped with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage (expandable up to 128GB).

There is an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The phone runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and has a 4,100 mAh battery. The phone comes with dual-SIM standby (Micro SIM / Micro SIM) and supports 4G/LTE Bands 1,3,7,8 and Band 20.

Design and build quality

Under $100, you shouldn't expect anything exceptional from OUKITEL. However, the K4000 Plus did impress us with extremely solid build. The phone comes with a metal frame with chamfered edges and a removable plastic back cover that goes over the non-removable battery. You also need to remove this back cover to access the SIM-trays and the microSD card slot.

At the bottom of the device's front, you'll find the fingerprint sensor, which also doubles as a back, home and recent apps button. However, you can also activate the on-screen keys from the settings menu. The OUKITEL K4000 Plus also offers all other essential features like the 3.5mm headphone jack, the noise cancelling microphone and a micro USB charging port.

The phone's left side is completely free of any buttons while you will find the power and volume up and down buttons on the right side. The rear camera and the LED flash have been placed on the top left corner while there is an opening for the speaker in the bottom right corner.

Despite a pretty satisfactory feel when you hold the handset, a textured back, instead of the plain plastic surface, could have been there to provide a better grip on the device.

Display

With a 720p HD screen, the K4000 Plus won't be doing wonders for you, but we find the resolution just fine for the phone's size. Responsiveness of the screen is also quite good, if not great.

You can also modify the screen's colour temperature to some extent if you are not happy with the default colour. Under display settings, you'll get the MiraVision option at the top, which will give you three options to adjust the color temperature, including standard, vivid, and user mode. The last option gives you more control over this handy colour correction feature.

Performance

Running on Oukitel OS 1.0, which is based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the K4000 Plus does a really great job with the RAM management and functionality. We really liked the multi-tasking on the phone, considering the fact that it comes with only 2GB RAM.

Wi-Fi and signal reception on the phone were absolutely spot on during our review period. We used the phone to test a number of tasks, including browsing through Facebook, emailing, watching videos on YouTube and a little bit of gaming. While some heavy 3D games did end up lagging, we could play relatively light and moderate 3D games without any glitch.

The fingerprint sensor was quick to unlock the K4000 Plus. However, it did struggle to recognise my thumb print at a certain angle. When it comes to privacy, the phone has a unique feature built into its OS, allowing users to put a lock on their private files, including documents, pictures, contacts, text and apps.

Overall, the OUKITEL K4000 Plus performed everyday tasks quite well. Therefore, average users shouldn't have any problem with the device.

Camera

Let's face it: the OUKITEL K4000 Plus doesn't want you to fall for its cameras, which can be described as average at best. The main camera does a decent job in good lightning conditions, but you will be disappointed with the outputs in low light conditions. The same goes for the front camera, which is not ideal if you are a selfies lover.

Considering that it's an entry-level phone, you should not expect the K4000 Plus to compete with higher-priced handsets having better camera equipment. To be honest, for an 8-megapixel main sensor, the images are not too bad.

Battery life

We've saved the phone's best for last. With a 4,100mAh battery the K4000 Plus was bound to deliver great battery backup, and it does exactly the same.

During the review period, the phone's battery lasted for seven days on standby on a sing charge. It offered three days of service under heavy usage with games, regular internet browsing and a lot of calls and messaging. It took us almost three hours every time we tried to get the phone fully charged.

Although a device's battery life definitely depends on its usage, it's safe to make the conclusion that the OUKITEL K4000 Plus' battery is the highlight of the phone. It's made to outperform even the top-end flagships available in the market today.

Verdict

With enhanced security and superior build quality, OUKITEL K4000 Plus is one of the top contenders for the best entry-level smartphone tag. Its exceptional battery performance also makes it an ideal device for everyday use.

So, if you are looking for a reliable budget phone with some extra perks for its users, you will enjoy the company of OUKITEL K4000 Plus.

Here's the unboxing video of the OUKITEL K4000 Plus: