HomTom has a wide range of smartphones on the market. We find from rugged phones like the Zoji Z8 to a device like its latest S9 Plus, elegant and following the trends of the year. Now, if we talk about the economy, HomTom brings a fit option to your pockets. Especially if you are interested in purchasing a smartphone with a design similar to the Samsung S8. For this case, we recommend the HomTom S8, a device that offers an 18:9 aspect ratio and full screen, but also adds a dual camera to the mix.
HomTom S8- First Impression
The smartphone comes in a large square box deep blue with the silver logo of HomTom in the centre. Very minimalist and simple but elegant, because it leaves the traditional colours black and white.
Once opened the package, we find the phone correctly placed in its compartment. Also, it comes wrapped in a small white bag with the letters “HomTom” in black.
After taking the HomTom S8 and checking it carefully, proceed to open the left compartment of the box to check the accessories included- power adapter, USB cable, OTG cable, tempered glass screen protector, back cover protector TPU, SIM needle and user manual. A complete package, considering it’s a smartphone under $ 200.
HomTom S8- Design and materials
This phone is made of high-quality metal and plastic. On the one hand, the edges are made of a very thick metal. However, the back is made of plastic, which makes it much more durable than the crystal of the Samsung S8. If we add the Gorilla Glass to the screen, we can safely say that it is very resistant.
As for design, the HomTom S8 is very flashy and sophisticated. In this particular case, the smartphone phone is a beautiful bright blue ocean with a mirror-like finish. This brightness and mirror detail is maintained in all existing colours of this device.
Also, it has a real aspect ratio of 18- 9, which creates comfort by holding it with one hand. We can add that it has a curved 2.5D crystal on the screen, getting a better transition with the edges of the smartphone. Regarding weight and dimensions, these are 17.9g and 152 x 72.5 x 7.9mm, respectively. This smartphone is within the classification “ultra-thin” being less than 9mm thick.
Get to know the HomTom S8 in detail
At the top edge of the smartphone, we only find the slot to insert the SIM card and the TF / micro SD card. This has been a good engineering decision because it saves space and makes the phone thinner.
Unlike the previous one, at the lower edge, there are a lot of interfaces. Here we find the USB port to make use of the charger and the OTG cable. Also, the speaker, microphone and 3.5mm audio port are present.
Now we go to the right side, where two basic buttons are present. First, we have the volume button with your options of “upload” and “download”. Just after, there is the power button that also has the function of locking and unlocking the screen.
The left side is different from all other edges because there is no interface or button present.
The front of the HomTom S8 is almost entirely occupied by the screen, so its design enters the trend of 2017 smartphones “without bevels. ” In the upper area, we find the headset and the front camera, while in the lower area, the capacitive buttons.
Finally, the back cover is equipped with the dual camera (along with the flash) and the fingerprint sensor. The HomTom logo could not be missing, so they included it almost at the end of the back area in white letters.
HomTom S8- Screen
The full 18- 9 aspect ratio looks great. If you remove the capacitive buttons, you will get a screen-to-body ratio of about 80% to use as you see fit. This handsome HomTom S8 is a device with a 5.7-inch screen; it entirely gives the feeling of having a Samsung S8 in your hands.
Other aspects that can be mentioned on the screen are that it has a resolution of 1440 × 720 pixels and 282 pixels per inch. Also, it is capacitive with IPS technology, which is considered one of the best screens in the market today. In general, the colours and the image quality offered by this device are excellent. Among other things, it is multi-touch and has full GFF. The latter refers to multiple sheets between the protective glass and the LCD to provide rigidity and hardness, which results in decreased screen reflections and improved viewing. However, the brightness level is not very high, but even on sunny days, it is possible to see everything you need.
HomTom S8- Camera
There is probably no denying that the Homtom S8 uses the Sony IMX278 lens model on its camera. This is a popular sensor that a few years ago was used in some emblematic phones of Huawei. Also, the main camera is dual, 16.0MP + 5.0MP with dual LED and autofocus. Obviously, there is an option for 16 MP shots, but it is better to put them at 13 MP and activate automatic scene detection. This is one of the best settings that can be recommended for this camera as it increases the performance in low light.
The second 5.0MP camera is quite good, but only in good light conditions. In our opinion, HomTom should have replaced it and added a more useful feature. However, some people prefer this feature, and it is good to have it. The only thing left is to hope that it improves with the updates.
The front camera of the Homtom S8 works decently. Both indoor and outdoor selfs are worth uploading to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. In general, it offers a fast and especially noticeable shutter speed.
Some features that can be found in this triple camera are- auto-focus, continuous shooting, digital zoom, exposure compensation, face detection, etiquette, panoramic, and touch focus, among others.
Testing the camera of the HomTom S8
Despite being a cheap phone, the cameras of the Homtom S8 produce very good photos throughout the day. The planes have many details and a decent colour reproduction.
The Sony IMX278 delivers outstanding results in this price range, even indoors. This analysis of the HomTom S8 shows the phone as it is. Not perfect, but offers excellent features for a good price.
While taking the photos, they do not look so good, but the results on the computer are more than adequate. Even so, it is common for most people to think about looking for a phone with a better camera; especially if we speak in this price range, such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A. However, we can not underestimate the quality offered by the HomTom S8.
On the other hand, the video quality is not so good. The primary camera lacks stabilisation and sometimes loses focus. The front camera is a bit better. It is necessary to remember that the Homtom S8 is new in the market and the chances are that in future updates will bring improvements to the quality of the camera.
HomTom S8- Hardware and Performance
The HomTom S8 is equipped with a MediaTek MT6750T 64 – bit and an eight-core processor; this works in turn at a clock frequency of 1.5GHz. Also, to run games, videos and animations with the best quality, it has a graphics unit ARM Mali-T860 MP2 of 650mHz. On the other hand, if we speak of memory, this smartphone has 64GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM. As we saw in the design, it brings slot for micro SD or TF memory, so it allows us to expand the ROM up to 128GB. We can not complain, for most mortals this is enough space.
As for performance, the Homtom S8 performs quite decent and compares to other phones in the same price range, such as the Oukitel K6000 Pro or the Asus Zenfone 4 Max. It’s even a little over the top thanks to the use of Samsung’s internal flash storage, which is faster than the competition. This device offers a very good navigation, good use in social networks and performance multitasking.
This low-cost phone offers equally decent game performance. It was tested with some demanding games and works without problems. 3D games make the most of HD resolution. Overall, the smartphone woke up after 10-15 minutes of play and lost some acceleration after longer game sessions.
HomTom S8- Connectivity and Battery
Its connectivity specifications are fairly basic. It is a 4G smartphone with wireless 802.11 Wifi connection in the b / g / n bands. It also has Bluetooth 4.0 and, regarding navigation, supports GPS and A-GPS. It allows the use of Dual SIM with standby mode, being compatible with Micro SIM and Nano SIM.
This “clone” of the Samsung S8 also comes with all the sensors you need- gyroscope, magnetometer, accelerometer, ambient light and proximity. The HomTom S8 is not only very attractive, but it is also a phone with many features. On the other hand, the fingerprint reader is not the fastest on the market, but it is very accurate.
Likewise, the GPS was tested. Here came the disadvantage that the smartphone has hardly been released and the GPS is very slow compared to others. However, it is accurate and will undoubtedly be improved with future software updates.
Last but not least, the lithium-ion battery and 3400mAh that are equipped with this terminal fully complies with its function. The duration is what indicates the manufacturer and does not give severe problems by continuous use days, outside the slight warm-ups but nothing out of the ordinary.
HomTom S8- Specifications
| Basic information | |
| Brand: | HomTom |
| Kind: | Smartphone 4G |
| Unlocked: | YES |
| SIM card slot: | Dual SIM |
| SIM Type: | Nano and Micro SIM |
| Display and dimensions | |
| Display Type: | IPS Capacitive |
| Screen size: | 5.7 inches |
| Screen resolution: | 1440 x 720 HD +, 282ppp |
| Dimensions | 15.20 x 7.25 x 0.79 cm |
| Weight | 0.1790 kg |
| Hardware | |
| CPU: | MTK6750T |
| Core: | 1.5GHz, eight cores |
| GPU | Mali-T860 MP2 |
| RAM: | 4GB |
| ROM: | 64GB |
| External memory: | Yes, up to 128GB |
| Connectivity | |
| Band Technologies | 2G- GSM 1800MHz, GSM 1900MHz, GSM 850MHz, GSM 900MHz 3G- WCDMA B1 2100MHz, WCDMA B8 900MHz 4G LTE- FDD B1 2100MHz, FDD B20 800MHz, FDD B3 1800MHz, FDD B7 2600MHz |
| Wireless Connectivity | Wi-Fi- 802.11b / g / n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, A-GPS |
| Interfaces | Micro Slot and Nano SIM, 3.5mm audio port, Micro USB port, TF / Micro SD card slot. |
| Wristwatch | |
| Main Camera: | 16.0MP + 5.0MP |
| Front camera: | 13.0MP |
| characteristics | Anti Shake, Face Detection, Touch Focus, Autofocus, Portrait Mode. |
| Battery | |
| Battery Capacity | 3400mAh |
| Removable | Do not |
| Package content | |
| It includes: | HomTom S8, USB cable, OTG cable, SIM stylus, power adapter, screen protector, back cover protector, user manual. |
HomTom S8- Conclusions
To complete this analysis, we can say that if you are looking for an experience similar to the Samsung S8 and a full screen of 18- 9, but at low cost, the HomTom S8 fits perfectly. It is more durable and longer lasting than the Samsung S8, plus it comes with a striking design, performance and decent cameras, and a good amount of memory. The battery life, as we mentioned, is not surprising and will last up to a day, depending on usage. However, you must take into account the disadvantages- GPS is slow, and video quality is low, but probably will be improved with future updates. HomTom has guaranteed at least two OTAs for the S8 so that we will see improvements in this excellent smartphone so cheap.
HomTom S8- Availability and price
If you are interested in purchasing this beautiful smartphone and choose the colour of your preference, we invite you to enter the online stores of Gearbest.com and Aliexpress.com, where you will find great prices. To make your shopping experience easier and faster, in the end, we leave you the direct links to the pages.
Buy HomTom S8 at Gearbest for $ 159.99
