CUBOT Pocket 3 review, small and elegant for every situation

CUBOT Pocket 3 review, small and elegant for every situation. I must say that, but this is a purely personal opinion, I found it less interesting than the rugged counterpart, given that it only has compact dimensions and has no peculiarities that I fell in love with. Overall though it retains some of the things I liked about KINGKONG MINI3, while still being very enjoyable.

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Compact and complete

The dimensions are also in this case the strong point of the device: 133.2 x 58.5 x 12.3 millimeters and 135 grams in weight, therefore perfect for finding a place in any pocket, even the smallest ones. This does not mean that the data sheet should be underestimated, given that CUBOT has done things right.

It starts from a 4.5-inch screen with qHD+ resolution (480 x 1170 pixels), also in this case therefore very elongated. This is noticeable with some games and viewing videos on YouTube, where two sidebands are added even in landscape mode. In general, however, the resolution is not a problem and given the size of the screen the texts are always well defined.

Under the body we find the same MediaTek Helio G85 seen on KINGKONG MINI3, flanked in this case by 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory. The smaller amount of RAM has never seemed a problem to me, even with numerous apps open the response times are always good and allow the operating system, Android 12 without customizations, to always run smoothly.

Connectivity is once again very good, with support for 4G, dual band 802.11 ac WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, and especially NFC for mobile payments. The internal battery is recharged via a USB Type-C port. Speaking of battery, CUBOT has chosen a 3,000 mAh unit that surprised me in a positive way.

Even with intense use I have always managed to arrive in the evening and leaving the smartphone in standby for a day (on the days when I was testing the KINGKONG MINI3) the battery level has never dropped significantly. A round of applause therefore to CUBOT which has managed to make a virtue of necessity, optimizing consumption in a truly commendable way.

The only point against the smartphone is the photographic sector, 20 megapixels in the rear and 5 megapixels in the front, with results identical to those obtained with the small rugged. Interesting photos during the day, although in landscapes there is a tendency to blur details, enough photos from the front camera. It’s hard to ask for more, let’s say that for social media the camera can be defended, provided you don’t ask too much of it.

Particular design

Due to the particularly elongated screen, even the shapes of CUBOT Pocket 3 are affected, to the benefit of ergonomics. With a width of less than 6 centimeters it is very easy to use with one hand. The design is very particular, with the lower “arrow” part and truly anachronistic frames.

After years of smartphones with minimal bezels, in this case we find the same bezels that were all the rage a few years ago. The lower one is very thick but the same also applies to the upper one, so much so that it was possible to house the front camera without resorting to notches or holes in the screen.

Nothing serious however, the device is really comfortable even with these frames. I liked the decision to round off the edges of the screen a lot, so as to create a strong contrast with the more broken shapes of the frame. The choice linked to the back cover is also original, made of plastic material with a finish that at first sight recalls crocodile skin.

A touch is enough to reveal the deception, but the final effect is still particular and pleasant, contributing among other things to making the smartphone less slippery. Also in this case, a secure authentication system is missing, with the possibility of using the PIN, the sequence or the (not secure) face recognition. I used the latter and I still found it very convenient to use, in combination with the function that turns the screen back on by lifting the smartphone.

Overall, therefore, an elegant and beautiful device to look at, and for those who fear scratching or damaging it, there is also a transparent cover in the sales package, to protect it without obscuring its design.

In conclusion

Although less multifaceted than the CUBOT KINGKONG MINI3, this CUBOT Pocket 3 is a very interesting smartphone, perfect for those looking for something to put in a handbag, to take with them to the beach or during sports (obviously with due caution) without having significant dimensions. Net of the limitations of the photographic sector, it is a device to buy, above all to always have something compact to use in some situations.

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