Coolpad Note 3S: All that glitters is not always gold

Weak battery huge bezels and slow processor take some sheen off the otherwise good phone

Coolpad Note 3S is a premium-looking device with an affordable price tag. This smartphone, a successor to the already famous budget device Coolpad Note 3, ticks the right boxes and competes as one of the best devices in the super-crowded sub-Rs 12,000 segment.

Let’s take a look at how the device fares in real-life use:

Design and build

The Coolpad Note 3S wears a glossy finish, which is a fingerprint magnet, and is dominated by 5.5-inch display at the front and glossy curved back that makes it comfortable to hold and operate.

The device has a plastic build, covered with glass at the back and an aluminum alloy chassis. The glass touch at the front sits perfectly in the chassis and there is no gap or visible bump jarring the looks.

Display

The Coolpad Note 3S features a 5.5-inch IPS HD display, covered with a 2.5D curved glass. While the glass is curved throughout, it feels prominent at the edges. Though the featured image of the smartphone on the box reveals almost no bezel, in reality, there is a huge bezel around the display which is a disappointment.

The display looks vivid and has a great contrast. It is legible under direct sunlight and has enough brightness. Also, the touch above the display works in sync. It feels light and the display responds even on a slight touch.

Hardware and software

The Coolpad Note 3S is no powerhouse. It runs on Snapdragon 415 chipset and has a 32 GB internal memory, coupled with second hybrid-SIM slot for memory expansion. The device also features a 3 GB RAM and houses a 2,500mAh battery.

On the back of the device, the phone sports a fingerprint sensor that unlocks the device within 0.5 seconds.

While the processor is enough to provide a smooth performance across basic tasks like calling, text messages, browsing, etc, it takes pressure and folds while performing heavy tasks. Playing games like Asphalt 8 is possible only if you set the frame rate to the lowest.

The software, on the other hand, works smoothly throughout and doesn’t lag until there are multiple apps opened in the background for hours. Once the background tasks are cleared, the user interface (UI) takes a few seconds to run optimally again.

There is no bloatware killing the internal memory, but a few necessary tools are integrated by Coolpad.

Camera

The Coolpad Note 3S sports a 13-megapixel (MP) rear camera and 5MP front selfie camera. The rear camera justifies its 13MP tag, unlike the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. It takes clear and crisp pictures in daylight, without struggling for focus. Also, the camera delivers good results in creating Bokeh effect, where it blurs the background and keeps the subject in focus.

There is a pro mode that offers manual control over ISO, exposure, white balance, shutter speed, saturation, contrast and focus. The pro mode is a welcome move but it could have been improved to offer better results.

The front-facing camera takes detail-rich portraits and offers some extra goodies like watermarks to play around with selfies.

Both cameras, however, struggle during low-light performance. The rear camera takes time to freeze the frame, so it causes unwanted haziness and blurred images.

Battery

The Coolpad Note 3S is powered by a 2500mAh non-removable battery that struggles to last a day. On normal use, the battery keeps up for more than half a day. Using the device with full brightness on and battery saver switched off takes a toll on battery and the phone dies within half a day.

Also, graphic-intensive tasks heat up the phone a little and put extra pressure on battery life. Under heavy use, the phone does not work for not more than 4-5 hours.

Charging a phone is also a task. With original charger, the phone takes more than 2 hours to charge from 0% to 100%. Though the phone shows ‘charging rapidly’ sign at the lock screen, it is not that rapid and disappoints at many levels.

Conclusion

For an affordable phone with a Rs 9,999 price tag, the phone offers a lot of interesting features. It stands as a true successor to the already famous Coolpad Note 3 and offers a stellar performance when compared with other smartphones in this price segment.

However, a weak battery, huge bezels and underperforming processor make the glitter of the device fade a little bit in real life.