Circling The Cubot

With the number of dodgy phones we see out there, it’s easy to become suspicious of brands that you haven’t necessarily heard of before. Like the Cubot series of smartphones, a newbie in the market, but nonetheless a functional phone that does the job.

Its design may be a mashup of the Samsung S series, iPhones and Sony Xperias. It’s pretty, curvy and quite flattering, to say the least. Before we get into the specs of it all, what is the Cubot exactly?

It’s a brand of Android smartphones manufactured in China with currently 14 models available on the market. The latest model is the Cubot X9, a smartphone which is already being called a replacement for the iPhone 6 at an affordable price.

The Cubot X9 also includes a five inch HD screen, 2GB worth of RAM, 16GM internal memory, plus a 13 megapixel rear camera and 8 MP front facing camera. Inside the box comes a USB charger in white and a cable in black. It might seem a tad strange, but don’t brush it off as dodgy just yet. Available in both gold and silver, the Cubot X9 opens up the same way as the iPhone, with all buttons aligned to the right side so at least you won’t have a problem reaching for anything. Earphones and aux cords are plugged in at the top of the phone and if you like smooth sailing metal on your fingers, the Cubot X9 has got just that.

Looking at the interior design, the Cubot has got a quirky and colourful home screen but the icons could have been designed better. As is the norm in all smartphones these days, applications for calls, messages, photos and the camera are available at the bottom of the screen. However, swiping from one screen to another gets annoying at first because the effect is dizzying. The good side to this is that it’s possible to change it.

Other features include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and here’s a new one: HotKnot. Similar to near-field communication (NFC) in selected smartphones, HotKnot allows users to transfer data by facing screens toward each other. Cool right?

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.

The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.