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| Kata M2L Review: More 2 Love |
INTRODUCTION:
December of last year, Kata formally launched their first ever LTE-capable smartphone, the Kata M2L. More than two months have passed and it is still one of their top-selling devices in the Philippines. If you already have one and wants to learn more about it or if you are just planning to purchase one, better read on, as we dig deeper beyond its specifications in this Kata M2L Review.
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| CPU-Z Information |
The Kata M2L, wherein the "L" signifies LTE, is a 5.5-inch Android Lollipop mobile phone that packs a 64-bit quad core processor, 1GB RAM and 16GB ROM underneath its skin.
UNBOXING:
Kata M2L Unboxing and Hands-on
The retail package contains just the basics, aside from the unit itself, you will find the battery, charger, USB cable, wired headset and user manual. By the way, those who had pre-ordered it before the official release also got a free flip case and tempered glass screen protector. To find out more how it looks and other aspects pertaining to its physical appearance, you can watch our unboxing and hands-on video above.
DISPLAY:
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| Display |
It sports a 5.5-inch screen with IPS technology and 720p resolution for better viewing angles and clearer display. In terms of visual perspective, it is one of the brightest handsets from Kata, the color reproduction looks natural and overall output is appealing to the eyes, especially when tweaked using MiraVision, making it ideal for consuming multimedia contents on the go.
SENSORS:
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| Sensors |
The M2L is equipped with basic sensors, namely accelerometer, proximity and light, all of which are working properly without any issue.
BENCHMARKS:
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| Benchmarks |
The phone is powered by 64-bit MediaTek MT6735P quad core processor with four Cortex-A53 CPU cores clocked at 1.3GHz each and Mali-T720 as its graphics processing unit. We have reviewed several smartphones in the past with the same chipset, and their benchmark results are of the same bracket. For this particular Kata device, it scored 19604 in Antutu 5.6, 25003 in Antutu 6, 2569 in PC Mark, 6005 in Quadrant, 50.9fps in NenaMark2, 2091, 752 and 1166 blank in Vellamo browser, metal and multicore respectively.
See Also: Kata T4 Review, Entertainment Hormone
SOFTWARE:
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| Software |
Even though it runs on Android Lollipop, the look and feel of the user interface remain the same with the other Kata device, even those running in older Android version. The UI has no app drawer, all the apps are placed in the home screen, to organize them, just stack one app to another and it will create a folder. One great addition to the pre-installed software is the TV folder, it contains several video-on-demand applications like Netflix, History, Discover Channel and Fox Now to name a few. Moreover, it also has MegaVPN app, which allows user to have a secure connection and access apps/sites that have location restriction.
CAMERA and VIDEO:
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| Camera and Video Interface |
The camera and video interface use the same old stock Android UI, their shutter buttons are placed in between the settings icon and thumbnail in the lower part while the shooting modes are located in the upper portion. Speaking of shooting mode, it offers Live Photo, Motion Tracking, Face Beauty, Panorama, Multi-Angle and HDR.
Sample Photos:
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| Day shot without HDR |
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| Day shot with HDR |
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| Another day shot without HDR |
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| 100% crop of above |
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| Another day shot with HDR |
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| Close-up shot |
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| Night shot without flash |
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| Night shot with flash |
The rear camera can take photos up to 13MP resolution with average file size of about 4.5MB. The images produced have great quality, captures vibrant colors, good dynamic range and right amount of details. The HDR helps in improving output, especially those taken against the light. The camera is also capable of focusing on subject as near as 3 inches. Moreover, the LED flash is powerful enough to brighten images taken in the dark.
Sample Video:
Sample Video - 720p
Sample Video - VGA
The main camera can shoot videos up to 720p resolution, surprisingly, no 1080p option. HD videos have an average file size of 100MB, while VGA ones have 50MB for every minute of recording.
Read Also: Kata i4 Review: Immense, Invigorate, Innovate, Ingenuity
GAMING:
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| Asphalt 7 |
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| Craneball Overkill 3 |
The 64-bit 1.3GHz quad core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM is capable of running basic and not so high-end games smoothly, with the likes of Temple Run 2, Despicable Me, Dungeon Hunter 4, Asphalt 7 and Dead Trigger 2. Meanwhile, other high-definition and interactive games like Modern Combat 5 and Overkill 3 are also playable, however, there are times that slowdown will be encountered when the screen is populated with several moving characters. We also suggest to restart the phone or wipe-out running apps before playing graphics-intensive games.
CONNECTIVITY:
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| Connectivity |
The Kata M2L is a dual SIM device, each slot can be set for high speed data via LTE, which in turn can be shared via hotspot or tethering. Other connectivity features include WiFi, Bluetooth, HotKnot, 3.5mm audio jack, micro USB port with OTG function.
GPS:
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| Location and GPS |
When the location mode is set to high accuracy, the phone is able to get a satellite lock in less than 30 seconds with an accuracy of about 12 feet.
BATTERY STATS:
Using it as our secondary phone gives us about two days of battery life, the usage includes few texts, around half an hour of phone calls and a few minutes of web browsing and checking emails. Meanwhile, during standby mode (WiFi on and email sync active every 15 minutes), it lasted for 10 days with still about 33% juice left.
CONCLUSION:
The Kata M2L is one of the best, if not the best all rounder handset from Kata, it offers vibrant display, above average camera capability, nice build quality, great battery life, high speed internet via LTE and good overall performance.
PROS:
5.5-inch HD display
Passable overall performance
Good camera output
Above average battery life
Mega VPN and TV apps
CONS:
Video recording max out at 720p
Kata M2L Specifications:
- GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
- HSPA+: 900/2100MHz
- FDD-LTE: 900/1800/2100/2600MHz
- Dual SIM(regular+micro), dual standby
- 5.5-inch IPS capacitive HD (1280x720) touchscreen display
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
- 1.3GHz 64-bit quad core Cortex-A53 CPU, Mali-T720 GPU, MediaTek MT6735P chipset
- 1GB of RAM
- 16GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB via micro SD
- 13MP main camera with LED flash
- 8MP secondary camera
- Multimedia player
- FM Radio
- 3.5mm audio jack
- GPS with A-GPS
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Wireless Display, WiFi Hotspot
- Micro USB 2.0 with OTG support
- Bluetooth v4.0
- Sensor: accelerometer, light, proximity
- Battery: 3000mAh Li-Ion, removable
- Price: Php5,999
- Colors: black, white