Review: I-Mobile i695 Dual SIM Android Smartphone

I have received previously mentioned I-Mobile i695 for review. It is a budget dual SIM smartphone running Android 2.3 Gingerbread. How does the dual SIM work? How is the phone performance? What about camera features? All you can know in this i-mobile i695 review.

In the box

Inside the box, you get the i-mobile i695, a headset, microUSB data/charging cable, removable battery pack, 8GB microSD memory card and a small but thick & detailed user manual in English and Thai languages.

Design

The phone size is similar to iPhone 4S but thicker. 4 capacitive buttons (home, menu, back, search) at the bottom of the display. At the left side, you found volume control keys. No button at the right side.

There’s microUSB, power button, and headset jack at the top. At the back, 5MP camera is at the top and speaker at the bottom. Middle of the back plastic cover is a brushed metal pattern to give the phone a modern look.

Specs

i-mobile i695 is powered by 650 MHz processor, 512 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM and running Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Its 3.7 inch display support 480×800 pixels. 5 MP back camera and a front VGA camera for video call. i695 supports Dual SIM Dual Standby feature that allows you travel without carrying two phones.

Performance

The review unit I received has applied a matted screen protector. Not sure if it is the reason that the touchscreen display was less responsive.

The phone is a bit sluggish when scrolling and flipping screens. App launch time is much longer than today’s latest Android phones. I also experienced several app crashed when phone back from standby mode.

According to AnTuTu Benchmark, i-mobile i695 scored 1,799 in my test. For comparison, the highest score mobile phone, Samsung Galaxy S3, scored 15,014. Well, you do the math.

The battery life is so-so. I get 5–6 hours with light usage (web surfing, download apps, test apps) before it alerted me for low battery.

Dual SIM

i-mobile i695 dual SIM feature allows you to carry two active numbers with one phone. You can switch the SIM card when accessing Call and Messaging. It shows the telco name at the right side of top status bar. Hold and drag down it to change to another SIM card.

In Settings, you also get a SIM management to control the settings (call, messaging, data connection) for each SIM card.

Camera

I would say the camera app is feature rich. It supports different focus mode (auto, macro, infinity, continuous), EV adjust, scene modes, color effects.

Capture modes include normal, best shot, EV bracket shot, smile shot, panorama and multi angle view. Despite the slow CPU, it has burst shot up to 16 shots! (though slow…) For camwhole lover, the camera also support self-timer.

The camera only save pictures into memory card. Remember to insert the microSD card into the slot under back cover.

Here are the test photos taken by i-mobile i695. Click on them for 5MP full-size non-edit version.

Price

The retail price of i-mobile i695 is RM699, with free 8GB memory card.

My two cents

I recommend friends to get Android phone with latest OS version available. Buying a phone with old OS make the phone outdated once unboxed. You also missing features and performance improvements in new mobile OS.

Unless you need a dual-sim smartphone, you should get a better performance phone in the same price range.

Gallery

➤ I-Mobile

Editor’s note: I would like to thank I-Mobile for the opportunity to review I-Mobile i695. This is a free product review with honest write-up. Interesting to submit your products for review? Get in touch with me.