Double the fun
This dual-SIM ninetology android smartphone is affordable and cool.
With the wide range of smartphone manufacturers out there, it is not easy to keep track of Android devices available in the market, especially those from lesser known manufacturers.
As such, it isn’t surprising that most people were unsure of the brand when we showed them our latest review unit, the U9 R1.
If you are just as puzzled, the U9 R1 is an Android smartphone from Ninetology.
Not many people we asked have heard much about this company, which is a pity as they deserve more recognition as an up and coming local mobile device technology company.
Ninetology’s U9 lineup is targeted at urban youth. As explained on their official website, the devices in this range are meant for those who have an upbeat lifestyle — this fittingly describes
the R1, as it is a trendy looking device.
Youthful outlook
If what you’re looking for is a sleek and light smartphone, the R1 isn’t going to disappoint. At 7.8mm thick and weighing only 107.5g, this Ninetology device will easily fit in the small palm of any teen or adult. The R1 review unit we received is suited up with a vibrant red back casing, which is consistent with Ninetology’s strategy of targeting the urban youth. It looks cool and will definitely demand attention.
On the front of the device is its 4.3in QHD (960 x 540-pixels) display.
The In-Plane Switching (IPS) screen didn’t quite impress us as the colours appeared to be a little washed out.
Below the screen, users will find the usual virtual navigation buttons for Android phones, namely the home, back and menu buttons.
One of the selling factors of the device is that it is dual SIM-capable.
This is useful for those with multiple phone numbers if they want to reduce the amount of devices that they carry around.
Horsepower
On the inside, the R1 runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Despite the latest version of Android being 4.4 KitKat, most Android devices in the market are still running on Jelly Bean, so it does not feel too outdated.
Under the R1’s hood is a quadcore 1.2 GHz Adreno 203 CPU, together with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 200 processor.
While the hardware isn’t over the top, it does seem like a good bargain for a device in the R1’s affordable price range.
Navigating through the user interface is mostly a lag-free experience.
There is only 4GB of internal memory