Review of: Umi Iron
Version:
MTK6753 3GB

Reviewed by:
Rating:
4
On September 1, 2015
Last modified:September 24, 2015

Summary:

The button link is to Amazon UK to purchase Umi Iron. See below for conclusion and more Umi Iron Amazon purchase links.

Umi is one of the old school China brands. They generally create quite solid phones; I recently reviewed the Umi eMAX which comes recommended.

Now up is the Umi Iron, can it keep up the Umi streak?

Umi Iron review style

Umi Iron is an appropriate name for this silver grey phone. The back and sides are one piece and made of metal. The sides are screwed in which adds a huge element of style and class to the phone and makes the “Iron” moniker appropriate.

The design is an enclosed one, though if you remove the side screws, the back piece comes off to get at the internal battery. The SIMs are inserted from the side and allow for Dual-SIM or Single-SIM+TF SD card.

umi-iron-review-IMG_8075

When the red is flashing I’m kicked back to the 80’s

There are no capacitive buttons, so onscreen buttons are used to control menu / home / back. At the bottom of the phone is an inch-long slow pulsing indicator light. Thus far I’ve seen it as green, blue and red. When the red is flashing I’m kicked back to the 80’s and episodes of Knight Rider, which can only be considered a positive.

I like these innovations that physically differentiate a mobile from the pack as long as they’re done in a cool or classy manner.

Umi Iron review OS

System animations and transitions are very fluid. The MT6753 SoC is pushing the 1080P without any issues.

The operating system on the Umi Iron is Android 5.1. It’s extremely smooth, fast scrolling is possible with short flicks, and slow scrolling is butter smooth. System animations and transitions are very fluid. The MT6753 SoC is pushing 1080P here no problem.

There was an OTA update which downloaded and installed without a hitch. The Iron is deep sleeping without issue.

Fast typing goes off well. There are no ghost taps or double taps required. The OS, in terms of operation, has been bug free, with no force closes.

Play Store is downloading and installing apps without any problems. Google Play Services updated without issue.

Umi Iron comes pre-rooted

Guest mode and multi-user mode has been enabled on the Umi Iron OS. You can allow a friend or family member borrow the Iron without them being able to get into your personal stuff. It’s interesting that Umi has added it here, as not every brand implements this feature.

Storage is relegated to a single partition of 12GB, which allows for installing of hundreds of apps.

Umi Iron comes pre-rooted. This is a true root which achieved root processes such as installing into system the GSAM root companion.

I especially like the decision to pre-root here, as enclosed battery designs can sometimes lead to issues flashing custom recoveries from PC to obtain root. A very smart decision by Umi.

Umi Iron review speaker earpiece mic

The external speaker on the Umi Iron, is easily loud enough for movies and handsfree calling.

Phone calls were no problem with myself easily being heard and the other party easily heard on the other end.

Umi Iron review components

The GPS is working great, with several satellites staying in the low-mid 30’s and often popping into the low 40’s. It cold locked within seconds and remained locked.

umi-iron-review-Screenshot_2015-58

The light sensor is working without issue, appropriately detecting varying levels of light and adjusting display appropriately.

There is no compass included on this mobile. I rarely use a compass, bordering on never, but I find this an odd decision given the price and other specs of the phone.

umi-iron-review-IMG_8064

OTG is working without issue. This feature allows you to use a keyboard, mouse, external USB thumb drive or game pad. I tested all four on the Umi Iron and they worked without issue.

WiFi on the Umi Iron isn’t quite as strong as the Umi eMAX, but is still great, remaining strong at 130ft/40m.

Umi Iron display

The display on the Umi Iron is OGS IPS 5.5″@1080P. Umi chose a great display for the Iron. It’s got strong color pop without looking oversaturated, and strong whites. Colors remain flawless at all extreme angles, with only a very mild change in brightness. There is zero light bleed at the corners.

the brightness measures a very high 435 lux

The display can easily be seen.  in direct sunlight. On a white screen, the brightness measures a very high 435 lux maximum and goes very dim to 14 lux at minimum brightness. Great for outdoor use, or bedtime reading use without requiring a screen filter app.

Umi Iron review SoC and performance

The SoC on the Umi Iron is MTK6753. It’s interesting that we’re most manufacturers using the MTK6753 / MTK6735 as opposed to MTK6752 / MTK6732.

Not only are the 64-bit CPUs running at a lower clock speed, but the GPU is also measurably weaker. I think what’s happening here is that though in benchmarks the 52 and 32 are more powerful, in terms of using Android, there’s no discernible difference between MTK6752 [email protected] and MTK6753 [email protected], thus MediaTek has been pushing these slightly lower-powered cousins.

can easily push modern games smoothly

While benchmarks score higher with the T760 in MTK6752, the score of 1080p 6000+ in Antutu 3D means the T720 in MTK6753 will easily push modern games smoothly.

umi-iron-review-Screenshot_2015-59

Speaking of Antutu, the Umi Iron Antutu scores a very respectable 33K. I will mention again, that in terms of general Android use, I’ve found there to be zero discernible difference between MT6752 and MT6753. The MT6753 is a solid SoC that puts out plenty of oomph.

The RAM in the Iron is 3GB, which is beyond what’s required even for most power users. Apps are appropriately staying in memory, and even many hours later, apps five or six apps back are bam still sitting there in the same spot you left them, without having to reload from cache.

Umi Iron review frequency support
  • 2G: GSM 900/1800/1900MHz
  • 3G: WCDMA 900/1900/2100MHz
  • 4G: FDD LTE 1800/2100/2600MHz

As with several phones released recently, there’s 1900 WCDMA which makes it compatible with some N/C/S American frequencies. There’s no 850 WCDMA or 850 GSM, so this could affect you depending on your carrier.

umi-iron-review-IMG_8081

For the UK/Europe and most of Asia, the Iron is a great choice in terms of frequency support. As always, check with your carrier to determine frequency prior to purchasing a mobile.

Umi Iron accessories

There are custom cases made to protect the Umi Iron, these are of the stick on type, which isn’t optimal, but flip cases aren’t my first choice for protection.

There are custom fitted Umi Iron hard shells available; when I use protection, I will use these hard shell style, or soft clear shells.

umi-iron-review-2015-71

Also available for the Umi Iron are custom made hardened-glass screen protectors. If you haven’t used them before, I highly suggest you give them a try, as fingers sliding over glass feels great in comparison to plastic screen protectors. As well, they generally scratch and scuff much less easy than plastic screen protectors and provide a crisper view of the display.

Umi Iron camera pictures samples images

The camera on the Umi Iron is the very good Sony IMX214. This is a solid, true 13mp camera. The IMX214 has become quite popular and is commonly used in moderately and expensive mobiles alike. The sensor produces good colors with decent dynamic range.

I couldn’t quite nail the flower picture, as there was significant wind and couldn’t catch it standing still, but I put the crop up regardless.

[flickr_set id=”72157655668118183″]

Judging by the 100% crops, we can tell that the sensor is an actual 13mp. The images the Iron produces are very good; beyond good enough for social sharing and even strong enough to use for medium sized prints, eg 8×10.

Long time readers of Gizbeat will notice in the pictures that something’s missing. In the midst of a storm, soaked with rain, the big tree timbered upon the wall with a huge crash that shook the house. The sound had me thinking Satan was surely come to take me for my mischievous deeds, but alas it was only a toppled tree.

As usual, the pictures here are unedited other than cropping and resizing. The closeups are 100% crops of the original 13mp images.

The flash on the Iron is dual-LED and puts out significant brightness. The front camera on the Umi Iron is OV8858.

Umi Iron review battery performance and charging

Measuring a solid 4.25+V, The battery in the Umi Iron is being fully saturated, which means both a strong battery and a charging system strong enough to push it to full. The Umi Iron charged from 1% to 100% in 3 hours flat.

The battery lasted 6 hours 45 minutes before shutting down. The test consisted of running 720P video over WiFi with the display at 140 lux. This is a very good result and means the battery in the Umi Iron is as advertised — 3180mAh.


Conclusion Summary

Iron@Amazon UK

Amazon Umi
Umi Iron@UK
Umi Iron@Italy
Umi Iron@Germany
Umi Iron@Spain
Umi Iron@France
Official Umi
Umi eMAX
Umi Hammer
Umi Zero
Umi Iron

 

  • No 850 WCDMA / 850 GPRS
  • No compass

  • Great, bright IPS/OGS display
  • Great WiFi
  • Big 3GB RAM and apps appropriately staying in memory
  • Dual-SIM or TF SD expandable
  • Strong GPS
  • Strong battery (6 hours 45 min, see test above)
  • Storage relegated to one partition
  • All components working properly
  • OS very smooth and bug free
  • Good Sony IMX214 camera
Rating
pio-rev

The Umi Iron is a phone I can recommend. It’s got a very smooth, bug free Android 5.1, the strong IMX214 and the display is looking great.

The style of the Iron with it’s metal back piece and sides is especially notable, and adds a factor of wow when checking it out.

If you’re in an area covered by the LTE bands or WCDMA bands of the Iron, it’s a mobile that can be considered for the shortlist.

https://gizbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/umi-iron-review-IMG_80801-450x305.jpghttps://gizbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/umi-iron-review-IMG_80801-150x150.jpgDamian ParsonsChina phone reviewMT6753MTK6753UMiUmi is one of the old school China brands. They generally create quite solid phones; I recently reviewed the Umi eMAX which comes recommended. Now up is the Umi Iron, can it keep up the Umi streak? Umi Iron review style Umi Iron is an appropriate name for this silver grey phone. The...



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