REVIEW: TORQUE DROIDZ ATOM

(More Pictures and Videos to be uploaded soon...)

Ok, I've never really been a big fan of Android Phones, except for the Coby tablet that I have been using for almost a year (which actually isn't a phone... duh!) But recently, these Android Phones have become really cheap and affordable. And the competition in the local market is going crazy!

So I was looking for an affordable dual sim phone, and three local brands came into mind:

• MyPhone
• Cherry Mobile, &
• Torque

Most of my officemates own a MyPhone. Most of my friends, including my brother own a Cherry Mobile. While the rest of the world would either own an iPad/iPhone or a Samsung Tab/Note. Come to think of it, it all falls down to the battle of the BRANDS! The most popular usually wins. Well, I'm not really into BRANDS. I don't necessarily own certain devices of the same brand. In fact, What I'm really concerned about is:

• Quality
• Usability, &
• Affordability

Well, technically, there should also always be some other specifications that fall into place. Like:

• Memory 
• Processor
• Graphics
• etc. etc.

But then again, what I really want is something that's "high-end" yet, affordable. So I checked the web for some cheap android phones but also comes with a "high-end" feel to it. I figured, MyPhone and Cherry Mobile are very common in the market, so my interest fell on TORQUE. It's amazing 'cause Torque has a range of phone models that are affordable and quite high-end.

I first had my eye on the Torque DROIDZ Force which was worth P2,999. With its Android 2.3 OS, 1Ghz CPU, 512MB ROM and 512MB RAM, I was sure that this was the phone for me. But then as I was browsing the site, I stumbled upon the Torque DROIDZ Atom which was priced at P3,999. Android 4.0 OS, 1Ghz Dual Core CPU, 4GB ROM, 512MB RAM. I was hoping to purchase it via Lazada but unfortunately, I was not able to find it on sale.

I was able to find the unit at a local celphone store, Expression Mobile Center, and they were selling it at the same price but without the Silicon/Jelly case.

BATTERY LIFE:

At first I was finding a hard time getting used to it. I hated how the battery would drain so fast. I hated how I was not able to set the ring tone to the music that I want. I hated I would not be able to connect to the wifi. I got discouraged on the first night I was using it that I got a really bad headache. BUT, it was all just a "user glitch". It was me who was not getting the hang of it. (hehehe. sorry about that!)

Upon further tinkering, I was able to fix the battery problem. I just had to turn off the apps that I didn't need and minimize the brightness, disable the vibration, lower the volume, and some other stuff... The 4 hours battery life I experienced on the first day now lasts for a whole day! Amazing!

SCREEN PROBLEM:

However, I think the Screen does have a little problem especially when the charger is connected. I guess that's when I experienced not being able to connect to the wifi for the first time, since I was charging the phone. Just a warning! Several buttons gets pushed at the same time when you click on anything on the screen when the charger is connected. Sometimes hanging up the phone in the process. Advice: Completely turn off the Phone when charging!

But after resolving all of that, the phone is working really well!

GAMES:

Most games found in the Play Store works very well. I installed only a few games on this phone since I don't really need it for gaming. The following games run smoothly on the Droidz Atom:

• Minion Rush
• Jetpack Joyride
• Mutant Roadkill
• Drag Racing: 4x4 Edition
• Spongebob Squarepants: Diner Dash, &
• Monsters University: Catch Archie

I didn't notice any flaws on any of this games, so it's pretty AWESOME!

BROWSING:

As with any device, I really prefer using it for browsing the internet. And I have really no complain about it in terms of browsing.  So it's EXCELLENT!

DUAL SIM:

I needed a dual sim phone. One for the Company issued number, and the other one for my personal number. So this affordable Android phone comes in very handy, and is very helpful for me. so I'm giving it a 2-thumbs up!

DUAL CAM:

The front cam is a VGA camera which is good for Skype and other video chat and conferences. The rear cam is a 3.0 MP camera which gives good quality images in well lighted environments. It has a built-in flash but it does not work very well in poorly lighted environments. The camera is OK.

MOVIES / MUSIC

The phone plays almost any video and audio format which is a good thing because I need music and movies whenever I travel to remote areas in the country. And something that I like about the phone is that the Headphones don't suck! (unlike the Coby) So, another EXCELLENT for audio and video.

ANTUTU BENCHMARK RATING

Below is an image of the Antutu Benchmark for the Torque Droidz Atom.

Hmmm... Not bad... With a score of 6595, it beats Amazon Kindle and Samsung Galaxy S. (You can download Antutu Benchmark at Play Store to check for your phone's standing.)

CONTROVERSY:

The TORQUE DROIDZ ATOM has been labelled an imitation of the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. But I don't really give a damn!

As to setting the Ringtone that you want, simply download ES File Explorer from the Play Store, and it will allow you to set any music as your caller or message tones. 

Overall, it's a pretty good phone. 

3.5 Stars!