Comio X1 review: A good looking smartphone in your budget

Featuring a compact design and 13-megapixel camera, Comio X1 gets the most of the tasks done with ease. Here’s our full review of the phone.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Xiaomi Redmi 5A rival. (HT Photo)

Product name: Comio X1
Price: ₹7,499
Key specs: 5.5-inch HD+ 'Full View' display, MediaTek MT6739 quad-core processor,2GB of RAM, 13-megapixel rear camera with portrait mode, and 3,050mAh battery.
Rating: 3.5 

Comio X1, the latest offering from Chinese smartphone maker Comio, launched in India late last month with a price tag of ₹7,499. The latest smartphone comes with entry-level specifications like MediaTek MT6739 quad-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage (expandable up to 128GB via microSD)

The highlight of the phone, however, is the compact design featuring beautiful red panel on the back and a compact 5.5-inch HD+ 'Full View' display on the front. The phone has volume buttons and power buttons on the right edge and SIM and microSD slots on the left edge. The base USB port along with speaker grilles and the top has 3.5mm headphone jack.

Apart from being compact and lightweight, what we liked about the Comio X1 is the fluid back panel painted in red colour. There's a Moto phones-like circular camera module with golden bordering, giving it a premium look and feel. The camera module is followed by a fingerprint sensor which is also in red. The overall red theme and unibody-like design is pretty refreshing for phones in this price segment, which is increasingly becoming mundane in terms of look and feel.

The stock Android-like UI also adds to the overall experience. The interface doesn't lag but it could have been much faster. The near-Android experience, however, makes it easier to get accustomed to the phone. We played a few basic games on the phone like Subway Surfer and Temple Run, and the phone handled them with ease. The phone comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB built-in storage.

Comio X1 has a circular camera module on the back panel (HT Photo)

Comio X1 has a circular camera module on the back panel (HT Photo)

There aren't many preloaded apps as you would expect on budget Android phones. For instance there's a Chrome alternative, Venus browser. Fortunately, you can delete most of these preloaded applications, unless you find some utility for them.

The near stock Android experience on Comio X1 (HT Photo)

The near stock Android experience on Comio X1 (HT Photo)

The 13-megapixel camera on Comio X1 is pretty interesting. It takes GIFs and even delivers software-based bokeh-effects, allowing you to adjust the f numbers as per your preferences. The bokeh quality, as expected, isn't really great, but nonetheless does a pretty job for its price point. The 8-megapixel front camera is also on par with what you get from the phones in this price range. Comio is also bundling a few AR-based stickers, similar to the face filters on Snapchat and Facebook. These filters work with both front and back cameras.

Summing up, the Comio X1 looks like a worthy rival to the popular Xiaomi Redmi 5A. Apart from a relatively slower interface, the phone checks all the boxes for a budget smartphone. The design and camera remain the highlight of the phone.