MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression

Anjie lou delos Reyes
2
MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression
MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression

INTRODUCTION:

MyPhone made the crowd go crazy when they announced the MyPhone A919i last year and as a saying, history repeats itself. This seems to be true with the MyPhone Agua Rio which brought much enthusiasm to local consumers from the day one it was announced until now.

Actually, the Rio even made a better and wider mileage, mainly because the price-to-spec ratio is somewhat intense. Imagine, 4,999 pesos for a 5-inch quad-core smartphone with 5-inch 720p IPS screen.

MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression CPU-Z Info
CPU-Z Info

Honestly, we never expect that MyPhone will price their phone this low, especially that the MyPhone Hail which is a dual-core without 3G cost Php4,598 when launched. In addition, the MyPhone Agua Cyclone with almost similar specs, but has qHD (960x540) screen resolution cost 6,988 pesos.

Is this a change in MyPhone strategy? To lower their price point in order to capture more market share. We do not know for now, but one thing is certain - the MyPhone Rio captured the interest of many.


UNBOXING:

Unboxing Video

MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression Retail Package
Retail Package

The retail package consists of the unit itself, charger with detachable USB cable, wired headset, manual, quick start guide and Pinoy guide.


HARDWARE:

MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression Front
Front
The phone's front is mainly occupied by the 5-inch screen, the black bezels are not thick, but also not that thin. Below the display you will find the backlit menu, home and back capacitive keys. The hidden proximity and light sensors are located above the screen on the left portion while the 2MP secondary camera is on the right.

The earpiece grill above the display has the same color with the back cover, in my case orange. Also, you will find the hidden LED notification light (red and green) under the grill on far right.

MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression Back
Back

The back plate covers not just the back itself, but also it envelops all the sides and extends to the front's edge, this design is similar with the Nokia Asha 501 and Nokia X. However, unlike the Nokia devices the Rio uses ABS plastic (same material with your LEGO bricks) instead of polycarbonate (PC). The main difference? ABS has lesser compact resistance and lower UV resistance, which means it can get dents and fade easily than the PC. But, to tell you frankly, it is not that bad at all.

The main camera and the LED flash are located in the upper portion, the camera is a bit protruded, but the lens itself is flushed with the metal frame so it won't get scratched easily. In the bottom part, you will find the loudspeaker grill.

MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression Micro SD and SIM Slots
Micro SD and SIM Slots

To remove the back cover, you need to pluck it from the top, there is no slit to start with, but you can easily do it with your fingernail. Once remove, you will find the two regular SIM slots above the 2000mAh battery and the micro SD slot for memory expansion at the upper right side.

MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression Left
Left
MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression Right
Right

The left side houses the volume rocker while the right side holds the power button, both keys are tactile and responsive.

MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression Top
Top
MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression Bottom
Bottom

The micro USB port and the 3.5mm audio jack are located at the top of the device, while at the bottom you will find the microphone pin hole.

In general, the overall design and build quality is good, or shall I say above average when you consider its price. Handling wise, you can easily hold it in one hand during a call, but most of the time, two hands are necessary.


DISPLAY:

MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression 5-point touch
5-point touch

The MyPhone Rio has a 5-inch capacitive touchscreen display with 720p (1280x720) resolution and supports 5-point touch. It has a good viewing angles at all sides, thanks to its IPS panel. However, when you are using it under direct sunlight, you will have a hard time seeing what is on the screen. One more thing, the screen is made of plastic and not of real glass plus it does not have any kind of protection, so better install a protected film as soon as you can.


SENSORS:

MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression Sensors
Sensors

There are five sensors in the MP Rio namely accelerometer, proximity, light, magnetic and orientation. All of them are working fine when put under test using CPU-Z and Android Sensor Box. This gives the Rio "plus points" since we seldom encounter devices with all sensors working properly.


BENCHMARKS:

MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression Antutu 17170
Antutu 17170
MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression Quadrant 5883
Quadrant 5883
MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression NenaMark2 55.2 fps
NenaMark2 55.2 fps
MyPhone Agua Rio Unboxing, Preview And Initial Impression Vellamo HTML 1944 & Metal 519
Vellamo HTML 1944 & Metal 519

This MP phablet uses MediaTek MT6582M chipset, it has quad-core Cortex A7 processor clocked at 1.3GHz each and Mali-400MP2 GPU. The scores that it got in the usual benchmarks that we used are at par with devices with the same chipset.


INITIAL VERDICT:

The MyPhone Agua Rio is without any doubt one of the best smartphone you can find at 4,999 pesos. It has the best set of display, chipset and RAM. The full review will be out soon, so please kindly stay tuned.

Specifications:

  • Dual SIM, Dual Standby
  • Quad band GSM, Dual Band HSPA+
  • 5-inch HD (1280x720) IPS capacitive touchscreen display, 5-point touch
  • Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
  • 1.3GHz Quad Core Cortex-A7 CPU, Mali-400MP2 GPU, MediaTek MT6582M chipset
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 4GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB via micro SD
  • 8MP auto focus main camera with LED flash
  • 2MP secondary camera
  • WiFi
  • Bluetooth v4.0
  • Micro USB 2.0 with OTG Support
  • GPS
  • 3.5 Audio Jack
  • Stereo FM Radio
  • Multimedia Player
  • Sensors: Accelerometer, Proximity, Light, Magnetic, Orientation
  • Battery: 2000mAh (removable)
  • Price: Php4,999

Post a Comment

2Comments

  1. I suggest you also do a comparison of the Rio's software and lag times, before and after the OTA update, if your unit is eligible. thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi! Is this phone really quadband? I need to know because I travel a lot and I need a phone that is quite cheap but quadband. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
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