Ice baby: review of Highscreen ICE 2 - a glass Android-smartphone with two screens
On New Year’s Eve, the Russian brand Highscreen introduced a hot new product with a cold name ICE 2. Companies often manage to stand out among competitors. Models of the Boost series with capacious batteries, Omega Prime smartphones with a set of interchangeable panels ... Now in the model range of the brand there is again a touchscreen with two displays.
Why again? Yes, because one was already - PP5420. And at the very beginning of the brand’s history - the first Highscreen phone and part-time the first “google phone” in Russia, back in 2009. The second touch screen in it was located under the main one and served as an adaptive touch panel to control the device. Well, it's time to get to know Highscreen ICE 2 better.
Highscreen usually ships its models in recycled cardboard packaging with a schematic representation of the device’s “insides”. Immediately in the design they decided to beat the “icy” theme, by the way, they did the same with the box of the very first Highscreen ICE. The successor originally received the back side of the package, it shows a picture of the rear of the smartphone in a 1: 1 scale - you can evaluate the dimensions of the model without unpacking.
Inside, you will find the phone itself, the charger and the cable with a built-in LED (red - charging in progress, blue - ready), a brief instruction and warranty, a clip to remove the SIM card holder, as well as a decent-looking red headset. And do not forget about the bonus - free 128 GB in the “cloud” of 4Sync service.
Despite the fact that they don’t argue about tastes, I think few people will object to me: the phone is beautiful! The most important thing in ICE 2, apart from two screens, is the glass case. The previous Alpha ICE model could boast of this, but it was only a clone of the iPhone 5, and the hero of our review is a completely different matter!
To begin with, both the front and rear panels are made of third-generation Gorilla Glass. This means that they are as scratch resistant as possible, and even after a week of being carried in a pocket with keys, the smartphone remains clean and glossy. The surface of the devices with a plastic back in such conditions becomes like an ejected roller. I also note that the glass has a high-quality oleophobic coating - fingerprints are not striking, you can remove them with a single motion of the palm.
The model is available in three color variants of the case: black, white and dark blue. The latter shimmers beautifully (like rhinestones, LG Nexus 4 had something similar) and changes colors depending on the lighting conditions. And once again about the soiledness - even in the white case on the back side of the fingerprints almost no remains.
Someone might call ICE 2 a female phone, but I would not agree. It is quite “unisex” and very original, given that current smartphones are not much different from each other and are mostly dull (all the more so, the products of “second tier” brands).
The case is surrounded by a plastic frame, which at first can be mistaken for metal. In the course of several days of the test, scratches did not appear on it. By the way, buttons made in a similar gray tone are still metal.
Under the display are touch keys. According to the new Highscreen tradition (which the brand clearly borrowed from Meizu and ZTE), the “menu” and “back” are made in the form of tiny dots, and the center key is a circle with an LED.
What is especially interesting: this diode can flash in different colors, and the phone’s software allows you to choose the color for notifications from various applications. For example, blue - for missed calls, red - for Twitter messages, etc. The color is different even during charging, depending on whether you still need to fill the battery or the process is over. Brings nostalgic memories of a smartphone with the "light music" Highscreen Cosmo ...
The lock button is located on the upper end almost in the center. The solution is not the most convenient, but bearable, taking into account the moderate dimensions of the device - fingers reach without problems. The keys are thin, the move is clear, finding them “blindly” is not difficult.
The smartphone has two micro-SIM slots, made on the principle of “iPhone”, located on the left side of the phone. On the right side is a microSD slot, covered with a plug.
1
At the end of the section I will say that the device case is not separable, and all the elements fit perfectly together. ICE 2 does not break records of subtlety and lightness, but this is not a “shovel" at all, and the device is very convenient in the hand.
The matrix is IPS + OGS (without air gap), which means excellent color rendition, maximum viewing angles, perfect behavior in the sun and, in general, a very “lively” picture. Advertising and hackneyed feature set? However, the "harsh" truth is that the display in the model is really excellent. Interestingly, it is even better compared to many other smartphones with IPS and OGS. This is expressed in the fact that the viewing angles are not just wide - even with a strong deviation, the brightness does not fall, the picture remains bright and saturated. In everyday use, in most cases, setting 15-20% of the brightness slider is enough. Or you can use the services of a light sensor.
The resolution of the 4.7-inch screen by today's standards is not the highest - HD (1280x720 pixels), but enough for this to avoid pixelation. I don’t think anyone would notice the difference between HD and Full HD on a 4.7-inch display.
Highscreen “lent” LG's “Knock ON” function; by double tapping the screen off, it “comes to life”. The option can be activated in the settings. The only pity is that support for turning off a similar action is not supported.
The role of the second screen is played by the 0.88-inch monochrome display on the back of the smartphone. If the sensational YotaPhone was promoted as “the world's first smartphone with two displays,” Highscreen ICE 2 is already called the second in the press. However, in the period “before Android” there were many smartphones in various form factors, including, for example, clamshells with external screens. Well, in China, by tradition, there are a lot of interesting things, for example, in November 2014, information appeared about a certain Gionee W900 with two Full HD displays. But the screens on the front and back panels are still the real prerogative of Yotafon and Highscreen ICE 2.
The OLED screen on the back of the smartphone has a low resolution, it uses only black and white colors. It is activated by the lock button and scrolls the following information - time, weather, date, battery, missed / current calls and messages. You can add any notifications from applications. In the settings there is a choice with what frequency the screen will turn on.
Highscreen ICE 2 operates on the basis of the MediaTek MT6592 chipset with 8 cores with a frequency of 1.7 GHz and a Mali-450MP4 video accelerator, 2 GB of RAM are available. There are no problems with speed, the rendering of the interface is smooth, it doesn’t “lag” anything. High-resolution video plays perfectly, modern 3D games “fly” - nothing else was expected.
The amount of internal memory is 16 GB, of which 3.41 GB of internal memory and 9.91 GB of “external” memory are available, 13.32 GB total. Of course, files can also be stored on a microSD memory card (up to 32 GB).
In benchmarks Highscreen ICE 2 shows the following results.
The smartphone runs on the current version of Android 4.4. Traditionally, for Highscreen there is no shell as such - a “bare android”. Of the preinstalled software, I’ll only note that the client of the 4Sync cloud service. There are no Yandex services and social network customers who like to impose local brands on their devices.
There is only one radio module in the smartphone, that is, both SIM cards are active in standby mode, but if you talk one at a time, the second one will be unavailable. There is an item in the phone settings regarding working with two SIMs, where you can select the default network, for the Internet, etc.
The smartphone is equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS. Satellite searches are quick, usually less than one minute for a cold start.
Music lovers will definitely be pleased, the smartphone has Wolfson audio chipset. If you have good headphones (the ones in the kit are suitable only for calls), the sound quality is excellent.
Highscreen ICE 2 has a 13-megapixel camera with a Sony IMX214 sensor and BlueGlass optics. Photo quality is good, only in cloudy weather it is better to manually add exposure. I note a good macro, but there is one point. By default, when you indicate on the screen by touching the place of focus immediately after the end of the “aiming”, a picture is taken. So, from the distance up to 15-20 cm, the time allotted for this mode is not enough for focusing - switch to a separate focus trigger, after which you should press the “shutter” button. The front camera has a resolution of 2 megapixels, it is enough for ordinary selfies and video conversations.
The shooting interface is non-standard. Unlike the usual camera program from MediaTek in Android 4.2, there’s no confusion with spreading the settings across different tabs. Quick access is organized for HDR shooting, effects (sepia, black and white, etc.). Also on the panel there is a mini-tab for activating a timer and a snapshot to detect a smile.
The smartphone is equipped with a battery capacity of 2,500 mAh. Not so little, but not much for a device with an HD-screen and eight cores. I can say that Highscreen ICE 2 lasts until the evening even with rather “tough” use (a lot of 3G, video, music, reading, 15-20 minutes of talking, periodic GPS launch and some toys). I tested the device with one active "SIM card", but with two it should sit not much faster since the radio module is still one. If you do not access the smartphone so often, the model will live on a single charge and a couple of days. When playing HD-video, the charge lasts about 4.5 hours, for Wi-Fi - up to 7 hours, 3G - about 5.5 hours.
Main screen: 4.7 inches, 1280x720 pixels, IPS, OGS, Gorilla Glass 3;
Additional screen: 0.88 inches, OLED, Gorilla Glass 3 (protection of the entire back side);
Processor: MediaTek MT6592, 8 cores, 1 700 MHz;
RAM: 2 GB
ROM: 16 GB
System: Android 4.4;
Cameras: main 13 MP (Sony IMX 214 sensor + Blue Glass), front 2 MP;
Support for two SIM-cards: there is
support for memory cards: microSDHC;
Networks: GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz); 3G / HSPA (900/2100 MHz);
Wireless standards: GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n;
Dimensions: 138x67.6x8.7 mm;
Weight: 135 gr.;
Battery: 2,500 mAh.
Glass (from here, by the way, the name is association with ice) Highscreen ICE 2 turned out to be a beautiful device, it is nice to pick it up. At the same time, it boasts a powerful hardware platform, an excellent camera, and a good display. It would also have Full HD-resolution and LTE - an exemplary flagship smartphone would come out.
As for the second screen - it's a matter of taste. There will certainly be those who are pleased to see all the necessary notifications when you, for example, at a meeting, at a lecture, but who knows where else. Perhaps a useful feature for those who can not imagine their life without a smartphone and social networks. Yes, and just a way to stand out - everyone has smartphones, but there are few of these, with a second screen. If not to say - almost none. Yotafon still remains a niche product, and it is in a completely different price category than Highscreen ICE 2. At the moment, the price of the model is 14,990 rubles.
Why again? Yes, because one was already - PP5420. And at the very beginning of the brand’s history - the first Highscreen phone and part-time the first “google phone” in Russia, back in 2009. The second touch screen in it was located under the main one and served as an adaptive touch panel to control the device. Well, it's time to get to know Highscreen ICE 2 better.
Equipment
Highscreen usually ships its models in recycled cardboard packaging with a schematic representation of the device’s “insides”. Immediately in the design they decided to beat the “icy” theme, by the way, they did the same with the box of the very first Highscreen ICE. The successor originally received the back side of the package, it shows a picture of the rear of the smartphone in a 1: 1 scale - you can evaluate the dimensions of the model without unpacking.
Inside, you will find the phone itself, the charger and the cable with a built-in LED (red - charging in progress, blue - ready), a brief instruction and warranty, a clip to remove the SIM card holder, as well as a decent-looking red headset. And do not forget about the bonus - free 128 GB in the “cloud” of 4Sync service.
Appearance
Despite the fact that they don’t argue about tastes, I think few people will object to me: the phone is beautiful! The most important thing in ICE 2, apart from two screens, is the glass case. The previous Alpha ICE model could boast of this, but it was only a clone of the iPhone 5, and the hero of our review is a completely different matter!
To begin with, both the front and rear panels are made of third-generation Gorilla Glass. This means that they are as scratch resistant as possible, and even after a week of being carried in a pocket with keys, the smartphone remains clean and glossy. The surface of the devices with a plastic back in such conditions becomes like an ejected roller. I also note that the glass has a high-quality oleophobic coating - fingerprints are not striking, you can remove them with a single motion of the palm.
The model is available in three color variants of the case: black, white and dark blue. The latter shimmers beautifully (like rhinestones, LG Nexus 4 had something similar) and changes colors depending on the lighting conditions. And once again about the soiledness - even in the white case on the back side of the fingerprints almost no remains.
Someone might call ICE 2 a female phone, but I would not agree. It is quite “unisex” and very original, given that current smartphones are not much different from each other and are mostly dull (all the more so, the products of “second tier” brands).
The case is surrounded by a plastic frame, which at first can be mistaken for metal. In the course of several days of the test, scratches did not appear on it. By the way, buttons made in a similar gray tone are still metal.
Under the display are touch keys. According to the new Highscreen tradition (which the brand clearly borrowed from Meizu and ZTE), the “menu” and “back” are made in the form of tiny dots, and the center key is a circle with an LED.
What is especially interesting: this diode can flash in different colors, and the phone’s software allows you to choose the color for notifications from various applications. For example, blue - for missed calls, red - for Twitter messages, etc. The color is different even during charging, depending on whether you still need to fill the battery or the process is over. Brings nostalgic memories of a smartphone with the "light music" Highscreen Cosmo ...
The lock button is located on the upper end almost in the center. The solution is not the most convenient, but bearable, taking into account the moderate dimensions of the device - fingers reach without problems. The keys are thin, the move is clear, finding them “blindly” is not difficult.
The smartphone has two micro-SIM slots, made on the principle of “iPhone”, located on the left side of the phone. On the right side is a microSD slot, covered with a plug.
1 At the end of the section I will say that the device case is not separable, and all the elements fit perfectly together. ICE 2 does not break records of subtlety and lightness, but this is not a “shovel" at all, and the device is very convenient in the hand.
Display
The matrix is IPS + OGS (without air gap), which means excellent color rendition, maximum viewing angles, perfect behavior in the sun and, in general, a very “lively” picture. Advertising and hackneyed feature set? However, the "harsh" truth is that the display in the model is really excellent. Interestingly, it is even better compared to many other smartphones with IPS and OGS. This is expressed in the fact that the viewing angles are not just wide - even with a strong deviation, the brightness does not fall, the picture remains bright and saturated. In everyday use, in most cases, setting 15-20% of the brightness slider is enough. Or you can use the services of a light sensor.
The resolution of the 4.7-inch screen by today's standards is not the highest - HD (1280x720 pixels), but enough for this to avoid pixelation. I don’t think anyone would notice the difference between HD and Full HD on a 4.7-inch display.
Highscreen “lent” LG's “Knock ON” function; by double tapping the screen off, it “comes to life”. The option can be activated in the settings. The only pity is that support for turning off a similar action is not supported.
The role of the second screen is played by the 0.88-inch monochrome display on the back of the smartphone. If the sensational YotaPhone was promoted as “the world's first smartphone with two displays,” Highscreen ICE 2 is already called the second in the press. However, in the period “before Android” there were many smartphones in various form factors, including, for example, clamshells with external screens. Well, in China, by tradition, there are a lot of interesting things, for example, in November 2014, information appeared about a certain Gionee W900 with two Full HD displays. But the screens on the front and back panels are still the real prerogative of Yotafon and Highscreen ICE 2.
The OLED screen on the back of the smartphone has a low resolution, it uses only black and white colors. It is activated by the lock button and scrolls the following information - time, weather, date, battery, missed / current calls and messages. You can add any notifications from applications. In the settings there is a choice with what frequency the screen will turn on.
Performance
Highscreen ICE 2 operates on the basis of the MediaTek MT6592 chipset with 8 cores with a frequency of 1.7 GHz and a Mali-450MP4 video accelerator, 2 GB of RAM are available. There are no problems with speed, the rendering of the interface is smooth, it doesn’t “lag” anything. High-resolution video plays perfectly, modern 3D games “fly” - nothing else was expected.
The amount of internal memory is 16 GB, of which 3.41 GB of internal memory and 9.91 GB of “external” memory are available, 13.32 GB total. Of course, files can also be stored on a microSD memory card (up to 32 GB).
In benchmarks Highscreen ICE 2 shows the following results.
Software and Communication
The smartphone runs on the current version of Android 4.4. Traditionally, for Highscreen there is no shell as such - a “bare android”. Of the preinstalled software, I’ll only note that the client of the 4Sync cloud service. There are no Yandex services and social network customers who like to impose local brands on their devices.
There is only one radio module in the smartphone, that is, both SIM cards are active in standby mode, but if you talk one at a time, the second one will be unavailable. There is an item in the phone settings regarding working with two SIMs, where you can select the default network, for the Internet, etc.
The smartphone is equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS. Satellite searches are quick, usually less than one minute for a cold start.
Music lovers will definitely be pleased, the smartphone has Wolfson audio chipset. If you have good headphones (the ones in the kit are suitable only for calls), the sound quality is excellent.
Camera
Highscreen ICE 2 has a 13-megapixel camera with a Sony IMX214 sensor and BlueGlass optics. Photo quality is good, only in cloudy weather it is better to manually add exposure. I note a good macro, but there is one point. By default, when you indicate on the screen by touching the place of focus immediately after the end of the “aiming”, a picture is taken. So, from the distance up to 15-20 cm, the time allotted for this mode is not enough for focusing - switch to a separate focus trigger, after which you should press the “shutter” button. The front camera has a resolution of 2 megapixels, it is enough for ordinary selfies and video conversations.
The shooting interface is non-standard. Unlike the usual camera program from MediaTek in Android 4.2, there’s no confusion with spreading the settings across different tabs. Quick access is organized for HDR shooting, effects (sepia, black and white, etc.). Also on the panel there is a mini-tab for activating a timer and a snapshot to detect a smile.
Battery
The smartphone is equipped with a battery capacity of 2,500 mAh. Not so little, but not much for a device with an HD-screen and eight cores. I can say that Highscreen ICE 2 lasts until the evening even with rather “tough” use (a lot of 3G, video, music, reading, 15-20 minutes of talking, periodic GPS launch and some toys). I tested the device with one active "SIM card", but with two it should sit not much faster since the radio module is still one. If you do not access the smartphone so often, the model will live on a single charge and a couple of days. When playing HD-video, the charge lasts about 4.5 hours, for Wi-Fi - up to 7 hours, 3G - about 5.5 hours.
Specifications
Main screen: 4.7 inches, 1280x720 pixels, IPS, OGS, Gorilla Glass 3;
Additional screen: 0.88 inches, OLED, Gorilla Glass 3 (protection of the entire back side);
Processor: MediaTek MT6592, 8 cores, 1 700 MHz;
RAM: 2 GB
ROM: 16 GB
System: Android 4.4;
Cameras: main 13 MP (Sony IMX 214 sensor + Blue Glass), front 2 MP;
Support for two SIM-cards: there is
support for memory cards: microSDHC;
Networks: GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz); 3G / HSPA (900/2100 MHz);
Wireless standards: GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n;
Dimensions: 138x67.6x8.7 mm;
Weight: 135 gr.;
Battery: 2,500 mAh.
conclusions
Glass (from here, by the way, the name is association with ice) Highscreen ICE 2 turned out to be a beautiful device, it is nice to pick it up. At the same time, it boasts a powerful hardware platform, an excellent camera, and a good display. It would also have Full HD-resolution and LTE - an exemplary flagship smartphone would come out.
As for the second screen - it's a matter of taste. There will certainly be those who are pleased to see all the necessary notifications when you, for example, at a meeting, at a lecture, but who knows where else. Perhaps a useful feature for those who can not imagine their life without a smartphone and social networks. Yes, and just a way to stand out - everyone has smartphones, but there are few of these, with a second screen. If not to say - almost none. Yotafon still remains a niche product, and it is in a completely different price category than Highscreen ICE 2. At the moment, the price of the model is 14,990 rubles.