Here’s my review of Kata Philippines’ new quad core smartphone. The Kata F1S. It’s a new Kata model with a 4.5 inches of screen display and a 1.3ghz quad core processor.
This unit will start to be sold at Ensogo on Oct 20, you can also get a free 10GB extra Kata Cloud when you order via Ensogo. Read the details here at https://www.facebook.com/katadigitalcom/photos/a.309944912482199.1073741832.309530812523609/534545176688837/?type=1
you can read my unboxing and 1st impressions here at http://azraelsmerryland.blogspot.com/2014/10/unboxing-kata-f1s-qhd-display-and-13ghz.html
here are the specs:- body case colors: black, yellow and white
- 5.3 inches in height
- 0.29 pounds in weight
- it runs with MTK 6572 Quad Core 1.3GHz CPU
- display: 4.5” LCD Display (qHD 540*960)
- Android 4.4 KitKat OS
- RAM: 1 GB
- Storage: 8GB
- 5 MP front camera, 8 MP rear camera with LED flash
- 1550mAh rechargeable lithium-polymer battery
- micro sd card slot ( can support up to 32GB)
- speaker: 8 ohm
- Wifi 802.1.1/b/g/n
- Bluetooth 4.0
more tech specs here at http://www.katadigital.com.ph/index.php?route=mobilephone/f1spec
here’s my battery review of Kata F1S
I mentioned in my unboxing blog post that I got worried when I learned that Kata F1S is bundled with a 1550mAh battery, I was not sure if the battery can last longer when used by a quad core processor and no presence of an intelligent app to optimize the use of batt power when running an app or on stand by mode.
But after using it for more than 1 week, I observe that the phone can survive the entire day even the 3G signal is ON, Its dual sim and I'm using Globe and Smart activated at the same time.
I use Kata F1S heavily in taking photos, Facebook, emails and Twitter, but I observe that the Kata F1S battery starts to perform better after usage for a long time. My complain started right after I unbox the unit and used it for several days, there are times that the battery starts to deplete rapidly but then after more than weeks, the battery becomes stable… I’m not sure what happened, maybe because the battery needs to be well fed every day with electricity to power it up.
The size
Kata F1S with 4.5 inches of LCD screen display with qHD feature and a body of 5.3 inches in height
and 0.29 pounds in weight. I can say that it’s the most easiest to hold smartphone after the previous series of Kata smartphones, I've tried the i3, M1 and M2, I encountered some problems in holding those device because they are big and also Its hard to store it in my pocket,
Because size matters, the phone will depend on its tech add ons, the M1 and M2 is big but perform superb!!! but then this Kata F1S attempted to get all the right and perfect tech add ons to power a small device just like the M1 and M2.
It’s a successful fusion, they got the right size and the right tech for it, but then when the device becomes smaller, the keyboard or keypad starts to go small too.
With my big finger and hands, I got some trouble typing with the keypad. But I found I technique to avoid the typos…. just type hard and slowly and use your pointy finger in typing, its easier to type in a small device.
here are my sample photos, just click to enlarge it and you can also view the original size of the photos
Camera review:
Kata F1S camera bundles you a 5 MP for front camera and 8 MP for rear camera. Usually, better smartphones start with a 8MP rear camera, for me the 8 MP rear camera of this Kata F1S is good in outdoor and low light environment. But the most impressive thing here is that the 5 MP front camera performs more better than the rear camera. I’m impressed on the quality of the front camera and its good to take photo for selfies and I love it more than the rear camera.
For the rear camera, you have to be really steady in order to have a good photo and less blur. You can control the ISO or go manual if you want to control the camera’s setting. I love also the Android camera add on for time lapse capture, I haven’t seen that feature in other phones or its just me only.
The LED flash is good too, if low light is present, just use the LED flash to get a better photo, but make sure that the phone is steady and the subject is not moving.
For the video mode:
here’s my sample
inside SM MOA
Mama's Garden
all are captured by Kata F1S
The camera's video mode is quite okay, you have to lessen the contrast if you don't want the default setting, which is the video is a bit hazy.
Over all:
Kata F1S is a good smartphone, I think its best for people who really wants an affordable quad core phone, but just take note of the battery specs of this phone, the battery can only last for a day when using it for communication and online activities, if you plan to add video and photo capture and gaming in a day, expect loss of battery juice, because the processor eats more juice when they are being used to run a lot of multi task jobs, or activating programs at the same time.
Use this device wisely, try some techniques on how you can save more energy in order to survive in a day of 1550 mAh power.
My advice is that - use Kata F1S for work – communication and information
- at home – enjoy the gaming and always plug it if it drains
- bring a portable power bank to charge the phone for another cycle
- use pocket wifi (if you have it) for internet connection, wifi eats less battery than 3G
- wipe the camera lens before shooting, sometimes the lens is smudgy when it absorb moist in our jeans pocket
- always cancel a program or app that you will never use for a day
Hope you like my review, I will add more if I found some new side comments about the Kata F1S
feel free to comment below if you want to share your reviews.
