The Coolpad Note 3 really surprised us.  When it was announced we expected it to be just another Chinese mobile without a backbone. But the Coolpad Note 3 could easily win the title for the best budget mobile of the year. When I got the review unit and opened it, within few hours I messaged Amarendra, who curates the Smartphone recommendation List at GadgetDetail to add the Coolpad Note 3 in the list. So what made me jump to that conclusion? Lets see in detail.

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Design

The Note 3 is a 5.5. inch device which packs in a lot of features for just Rs 8999. The first device to be called a “Note” was the Samsung Note and back then it was just 5.3 inch device and everyone felt that it was a huge device. Now this 5.5 Note 3 from Coolpad does not feel that big in hand. Maybe we got used to the size and 5.5 inch devices are becoming standard these days. It is priced at Rs 8999 and for the price you  get a whole bunch of features neatly executed and integrated into this mobile.

It is available in While and Black color variants. The back is removable but that is just to reveal the dual SIM card slots and the microSD card slot. The 3000 mAh battery is sealed and is not removable or replaceable by the user. The front is pleasing with it’s stylish metal rim running all around the bezels.

The menu keys are not backlit, sadly. The top of the display has the usual sensors, 5 MP camera and a bright notification LED.

The power button and volume keys are placed on either sides of the mobile and it has good mechanical feedback. The keys are easy to reach and operate. The mic and microUSB port are at the bottom while the 3.5 mm audio jack is on the top.

The 13 Mp camera with a single LED flash is at the back and below the camera is the star of this mobile, the finger print sensor. This is the cheapest mobile with finger print sensor and yet the sensor performance beats most flagship devices. This is the fastest and most accurate fingerprint sensor I have seen or experienced till date. It unlocks the mobile instantly from lock / sleep screen. It can be configured with up to 5 fingerprints and each finger print can be configured to perform different action. But the most natural and useful action is the unlocking and I have set my 2 index fingers to unlock this mobile which was very convenient. The location of the sensor is very convenient for the index finger to reach. Applications can also be encrypted and locked with fingerprints so that the selected application can be accessed only if the fingerprint matches.

Display

The Coolpad Note 3 has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display which supports 720p HD resolution which results in the screen packing a mere 267 ppi of pixel density. While on the papers, it may appear to be a weak specification, in reality the display is brilliant. Initially I mistook it to be an AMOLED screen and that’s how bright the display is. The while balance is on the colder side while the saturation and contrast levels are just ok. It has good sunlight readability and decent viewing angles. The UI and text are crisp to read and overall, the display is just too good for the money you have spent on this mobile.

Hardware and Performance

Coolpad Note 3 is powered by a 64 bit octacore MediaTek MT6753 processor which is clocked at 1.3 Ghz. It has Mali T720 GPU and 3 GB of RAM along with 16 GB of onboard storage. The memory can be expanded with microSD card and it also supports USB OTG. The mobile supports dual 4G SUM cards which works across multiple bands. Thankfully it’s not the hybrid SIM slot, but on this device you can actually use 2 SIM card and a microSD card at the same time. Call quality was good and the mobile latched on to the network pretty good. The loudspeakers are pretty loud and the voice quality on ear piece was also natural.

The performance of the Coolpad Note 3 is impressive. The UI is snappy and never lags on any micro interaction animations. The applications open up fast and run smoothly. It also handles games with east. When it comes to high-end games, the device started showing signs of stuttering and frame drops. It does get warm on prolonged gaming, but it is totally within the acceptable levels. This under 10k mobile surprised me with its performance and it parallels most mid-range mobiles priced around Rs 15k.

Camera

The Coolpad Note 3 has 13 MP camera at the back and 5 MP camera on the front. The camera UI is minimal and straight forward. The primary functions are easily accessible on the first layer of the camera UI. But when you start to dig in for more features, findability is an issue. The UI offers pro mode but the pro mode lets you tinker with ISO, exposure and focus distance only. It gives no control over the shutter speed. The camera also supports touch to focus. But what surprised me is the focus tracking mechanism. You long press on any subject and the focus latches on to it while its moving. It works perfectly and it was a charm using it.

The images from the camera were decent. The images appear to be washed out and lacks sharpness or detailing. The exposure levels are high and the images don’t have the right contrast ratio and that is me being over picky. The front camera also gives similar result. Again for the price you are paying, this is the quality you can expect and must not be picky. The device is capable of recording 1080p videos and no bells and whistles there as well. The images are good for sharing over social media and I would end it there. I am ok with the camera and would still recommend this mobile.

Check out the camera samples

Sample Video

Software

Coolpad Note 3 runs on Android 5.1 with the custom skin CoolUI on top. I have mixed feeling on the UI here. It is the most ambitious UI, I have seen in recent times. It has a whole bunch of features but it lacks the finesse when it comes to visual design language. The icons are laid out on the app desk like iPhone or MIUI and most other Chinese UI skins. But there is an option to switch to the traditional android style app drawer. But on either modes, finding an app is a challenge. App search is an app and the app list doesn’t have filter or sorting capability. I am not sure on what order they are arranged. I resorted to grouping and still finding apps was  a pain. So I switched to another launcher.

The CoolUI has a few interesting features and here is a curated list

• The secure zone protects your app and data privacy, but the implementation is not robust. Getting to the secure mode needs you to master a gesture.
• The c button feature, when enabled from the notification tray, open a pie control menu with a few useful menu items.
• The long standby mode extends your battery life with a black skin and icons for just the essential functions.
• It has a bunch of gestures which are customizable, but the mobile is sort of slow to recognize and respond to the gestures.

Though the CoolUI has loads of features, it is not mature and not stable. It hangs at times and apps to crash. I don’t say it unusable, but rather unstable. But these issues can be fixed with an update, if Coolpad decides to address them. When it is working, the UI is very fast and snappy and hence the mixed feeling.

Check out the video review

Battery

The device is powered by a 3000 mAh battery. Under normal usage, the device lasted for 17-19 hours. I don’t go by screen on time for battery testing as it gives you information only for a single cycle. So I use the mobile on my day-to-day life and the average is calculated with a system monitoring app. If the mobile cannot last one full day without needing to charge, it does not have satisfactory battery performance and the Coolpad Note 3 is not satisfactory.

Verdict

Coolpad Note 3 sells for Rs 8999 exclusively on Amazon India. At this price, the device gives a run for money for most of the devices priced at around Rs 15k (200-230$). It has a pretty ordinary design, but sturdy construction. The UI is unstable, but rich on features. The camera output is average, but the fingerprint is superfast and the display is good. All the cons are completely overshadowed by the price and the features on this mobile. If you are looking to buy a good mobile for under Rs 14k, you must definitely get the Coolpad Note 3. It is available in both black and white colors and they are on open sale. A huge thumbs up for the Coolpad Note 3.