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Wireless Interfaces and Communications

The hero of the review is the Prestigio PAP4500 DUO dual-core dual-SIM smartphone. Cypriot by passport, but originally from the Middle Kingdom. The device is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Let's take a closer look at it.

Technical characteristics of Prestigio MultiPhone 4500 Duo

The characteristics of a smartphone will not capture the imagination of an erudite regular on tech-related websites. For such a user, the smartphone will most likely cause the reaction “what’s interesting here, a typical average guy.” But everything is relative. Maybe for the end of 2012 - beginning of 2013 this is average, but - let's remember - other flagships boasted such characteristics in 2011.

In addition to the smartphone and instructions, the black and red box made of thick cardboard also contains: a leather-like case with an embossed Prestigio logo, a simple headset, a micro-USB cable for data transfer and battery charging, as well as a charger. The usual gentleman's set.

Neighbors in the Prestigio PAP4500 DUO line

The hero of our review proudly looks out from behind the shoulder of his “big brother” - the MultiPhone 5000 DUO smartphone (5" IPS display, 1 GHz dual-core processor, 512 MB RAM). Their rears are reliably covered by the MultiPhone 4300 DUO (4.3" IPS display, processor 1GHz, 512 MB RAM). By the way, the line of “multiphones” under the Prestigio brand today consists of 7 (firmly entrenched!) devices, including the tested smartphone.

Appearance of Prestigio PAP4500 DUO

The appearance of the smartphone will not make you gasp. This is a familiar heavy glossy black “block” with a silver logo reminiscent of the Ferrari logo. At the same time, the device, although it looks modest, is also impressive.

Anticipating skepticism about the assembly, I will answer: the device is well assembled. The phone's cover creaks slightly when pressed hard, but there is nothing critical about it.

The front of the smartphone is completely protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and is predictably given over to a 4.5" display. Along the edge of the screen there is a low edge that creates additional protection. At the bottom there is a row of three touch keys with dim automatic backlighting (“Menu, “Home”, “Back”) At the top there is a front camera, skillfully camouflaged proximity and light sensors, as well as a metal earpiece grille.

The upper and lower parts of the device are rounded and slightly arched.

The back is covered with a glossy cover with holes for the camera eye, flash, additional microphone and speakerphone. On the back, in addition to the inscription “Prestigio” and a message about the eight-megapixel and autofocus of the camera, the company logo is extruded (rather than painted on).

When closed, the lid tightly covers the smartphone body from the sides. It is attached with 10 small latches. It comes off easily, but “fits” quite well.

Under the cover there is a camera eye protruding above the surface, next to it on one side there is an LED flash, on the other there is an additional microphone for noise reduction during a call. Below are the slots for microSD card, first and second SIM cards. Approximately half of the free space is occupied by a removable lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 1850 mAh. Even lower is a small speakerphone, covered with a white (for some reason) mesh.

At the top end there is a microUSB port and a 3.5 mm TRS (“mini-jack”). On the bottom there is only a hole for the microphone.

On the left side of the smartphone there is a paired volume key. The movement is clear, but as a right-hander, when using the device I wanted the buttons to be a little lower. So that the top one fits exactly under the index finger.

The device lock/turn off button, which is located alone on the right side, is also informative, with a clear operation. A right-handed man can easily feel it with the pad of his thumb, but a left-handed man, out of habit, will look for the lock button a little lower. I didn’t trust the smartphone in women’s hands for a long time. According to my impressions, it is still too big for them.

Speaking of the size of the device, it was not very convenient for me to use the smartphone with one hand - the lower right corner of the device pressed into the center of the palm every time I reached for the notification shade at the top of the screen or the lock key. But these are purely personal feelings, since I don’t really like large devices with a screen diagonal larger than 4". So you can safely cross this “disadvantage” off the list.

Screen

Good IPS matrix inexpensive smartphone Today, dear readers, you will not be surprised. The PAP4500 is equipped with a protected (Corning Gorilla Glass) capacitive screen (5 simultaneous touches) with a resolution of 960x540 pixels, 4.5" diagonal (PPI 245). Good viewing angles. However, given the class of the smartphone, you should not expect flagship characteristics from the device. The brightness is good, The screen did not go blind in bright sunshine.

Simply put, a good display.

The only thing that causes discomfort when using it is that the screen is soiled: well, it really gets stuck! Because of this, apparently, the sensitivity of the sensor layer drops from time to time. First thought: there is no grease-repellent coating. Or it can’t handle my “fat” (hussars, keep quiet! - wash your hands with soap all the time). So during use, you will have to give the display a good wipe from time to time to bring it back to life.

But, to be honest, in practice, not everything is as bad as it might seem. Moreover, the smartphone (let me remind you) is equipped with a thick case, velvety on the inside. If you buy a device, do not ignore this accessory, use it - both the case is protected and the screen is clean.

Interface features, installed applications in Prestigio PAP4500 DUO. Working with 2-SIM

Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.4 is responsible for everything here. I don't think it's worth waiting for an update to Jelly Bean.

By the way, regarding the system update - immediately after activating the device and connecting to the network, the smartphone politely suggested that I update the system over the air.

It was not possible to do this at once, unfortunately. Paradoxically, there was no microSD card at home, and the system update program categorically refused to load new firmware onto the built-in 2 GB memory. I had to download the firmware “manually” from the manufacturer’s website. The update is critical, be sure to download it (if you are going to install programs from Google Play).

When you first start the system, you will be greeted by the Prestigio phone setup wizard.

As you can see, everything has been done so that a person who has never seen Gmail can fully use a smartphone. And some popular programs (for example, Angry Birds with solitaire) can be installed without even having a Google account.

A branded “reader” with a built-in bookstore is also installed out of the box. Books in different languages, both paid and free.

The Prestigio developers clearly treated the “naked” android with respect. There are changes, but they are small. They mainly concern the features of working with two SIM cards (more on that below). Interesting thing: you can mount the internal memory (or microSD card) as a USB drive; there is also a possibility automatic shutdown and turning on the smartphone according to a schedule.

Changed lock screen. When the screen is locked, you can select one of four shortcuts (“Unlock”, “Call”, “SMS”, “Camera”), or swipe from the bottom of the screen to bring up the player control widget.

The notification shade is complemented by a number of switches for quickly changing the state or settings of the device. Thus, you can quickly turn Wi-Fi on or off, change the sound profile, change the screen brightness, or activate a specific SIM card in the dialer or SMS editor.

Now about the operation of the device with two SIM cards. A miracle did not happen, so calling from one SIM card to the second will not work. Although the smartphone is assigned two IMEIs, the cards can be “active” at the same time only in standby mode. The first slot holds a USIM/SIM card (UMTS/GSM mode - video calls, 3G, GSM/GPRS/EDGE), the second slot holds only a SIM card (GSM/GPRS/EDGE). To avoid lost calls, the priority setting of “voice” over “data” has been implemented.

Working with two cards did not raise any questions for me. Everything is simple and logical, you can select a priority card for calls, data transfers, you can “link” certain contacts to a specific SIM card. Look at the pictures, everything is clear there:

Camera and multimedia

The Prestigio PAP4500 DUO has an eight-megapixel camera module, flash, fast autofocus, and an HDR mode. But, frankly speaking, this is of little use. The camera in this case is the weakest point of the smartphone, in my opinion.

Look for yourself: white has a violet tint, yellow has a green tint... But the camera still performs utilitarian and artistic functions: capturing important information on an ad, taking a psychedelic photo of a pet for Instagram. And the neighbors’ Zhiguli cars look noticeably better in such photographs than in real life.

The video is saved in a 3gp container. Picture: 640x480, 30 fps. Sound: stereo, 16 kHz, 96 kb/s, AAC codec. You can judge the quality yourself. Sound (speaker volume, player, FM receiver) Prestigio PAP4500 DUO, video playback The smartphone can easily claim the title of “music box”, if not in quality, then in the volume of the speaker sound. The sound is dense, clear, without hissing or rattling.

The sound quality and volume in the headphones also did not disappoint. Subjectively, the smartphone produces pretty good sound – clear and loud. Probably, the device will not please the music lover, but it will not disappoint the undemanding buyer.

After launching the program with the straightforward name “Music”, we are greeted by 4 tabs: “Artists”, “Albums”, “Songs”, “Playlists”. Each of the first three tabs is a filter for the corresponding ID3 tag. There is a sound setting in the form of adjusting the settings of a 5-band equalizer (menu item “Sound effects”), the “reverberation” effect (6 presets), “Bass boost” and “3D effect”. The intensity of the last two effects is discretely adjustable; they are active only when headphones or a headset are connected. The sound changes noticeably when you change the corresponding parameters, so it makes sense to “play” with the settings (especially if you use the included headset).

The FM receiver is simple. It is possible to save station frequencies in the “Channel List” so as not to have to scan every time. You can record the desired excerpt of a radio program in surprisingly terrible quality (I assume that the recording is in one channel at a sampling frequency of 8 kilohertz, but I did not check specifically).

By the way, both the “standard” audio player and the “radio” have one small drawback. They temporarily stop playing when the audio focus changes. It sounds something like this: a song is playing, suddenly the playback stops, a sound is heard in the headphones about a new message, the song or radio program continues to play. It’s hard to call this “critical” (in the case of a player, it can be treated, for example, by installing one of the third-party players from Google Play), just be aware of this. On the other hand, you won’t miss an important message because of the music playing in your headphones.

The native video player is predictably useless if you are going to watch videos downloaded from the Internet.

So, I advise you to install one of the third-party players.

Performance and autonomy of Prestigio PAP4500 DUO

The device does not shine in synthetic tests. But, frankly speaking, I have a cool attitude towards these very tests - the key word of which is “synthetic”. In life, Prestigio PAP4500 DUO shows good performance, both in work and in entertainment - I did not notice any “lags”, freezes or other “joys”.

The “autonomy” of the device deserves a separate paragraph (or even two).

Prestigio PAP4500 DUO is powered by a lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 1850 mAh. On average, the device “lived” for a day with fairly active use: about half an hour of talking on the phone, two to three hours of reading a book from the smartphone screen at low screen brightness, twenty to thirty minutes of surfing the Internet using a standard browser. Synchronization of Gmail, Exchange, Facebook, Twitter (official client), Instagram was enabled, the brightness was adjusted automatically, one SIM (MTS, GSM, data transfer disabled) and one USIM card (TriMob, UMTS, data transfer enabled) were active.

With a light load (only calls and SMS, email synchronization, etc. every 15 minutes), the device can last two days.

Bottom line

The smartphone left me with a mostly pleasant experience of using it. This is, you know, a “male” device. Good screen, pleasant sound, sufficient performance in most cases and excellent autonomy of the device, good implementation of “dual-SIM” functionality, solid assembly - all this allows us to call the Prestigio PAP4500 DUO a worthy smartphone.

It is worth noting the nice additions to Android from the Prestigio developers. They reminded me of a good “custom”, and not at all “factory” firmware (which is usually assembled by marketers, not engineers - you know what I mean?).

Would I recommend the Prestigio PAP4500 DUO for purchase? Yes. But provided that you really need 2 SIM cards in your phone, and the quality of pictures and videos is not very important. And you also don’t know what “Jelly Bean” is and you’re not even interested.

4 reasons to buy Prestigio PAP4500 DUO:

2 SIM cards
Protected 4.5" IPS matrix
Good sound (both in speakers and in headphones)
Decent autonomy

3 reasons not to buy Prestigio PAP4500 DUO:

Low quality of pictures and videos from the built-in camera
Screen getting stuck
You don't like big silver logos on your smartphone

Budget premium according to Prestigio

We continue our research into various smartphones based on MediaTek chips. Next up is a joint creation of Chinese engineers and domestic distributors - Prestigio MultiPhone PAP5044 Duo (for brevity, let us use only the brand and model index below).

A little about the brand: a variety of mobile devices are produced under the brand, including smartphones and tablets. Car navigators of this brand are the most famous. The company that owns the brand positions it as a kind of “budget premium”. Devices with this name “combined high quality, style and accessibility."

Let's see how well we managed to combine the qualities mentioned above in the Prestigio PAP5044.

Contents of delivery

The packaging of Prestigio PAP5044 speaks volumes about the company’s designers’ attention to detail and adherence to the proverb “one is greeted by one’s clothes.”

The box of the review hero is really very nice, with a good combination of black and red colors, silver inscriptions and technology icons. All necessary information about the device is provided in Russian and English.

Let's list the contents of the box: smartphone, battery, regular battery cover, cover cover, charger, Micro-USB cable, wired stereo headset, documentation.

Undoubtedly, the main feature of the Prestigio PAP5044 is the protective cover, which we have never seen before in the budget segment of smartphones.

Characteristics

MediaTek MTK6589 platform (four ARM Cortex-A7 cores, 1.2 GHz) with PowerVR SGX 544MP video core;
Operating system Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean);
IPS display, 5″ diagonal, 720×1280 pixels, capacitive, with multitouch;
RAM 1 GB, main flash memory 4 GB (1 GB available on the system partition and 1.7 GB on the data partition);
Supports microSDXC memory cards up to 64 GB;
Dual SIM support;
GSM EDGE/GPRS connection (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) for both SIM cards;
3G HSPA communication (850/900/2100 MHz) for main SIM card;
Bluetooth 4.0;
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n;
FM radio;
GPS + A-GPS;
Accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope;
Camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels, autofocus, additional camera 2 megapixels;
Lithium-ion battery, capacity 2000 mAh;
Dimensions 145x73x8.6 mm;
Weight 130 g.

The capabilities of the Prestigio PAP5044 do not go beyond the budget Chinese smartphone segment. All the most necessary communication modules, two cameras, and a large display are available. A permanent leader ties everything together budget segment- SoC MediaTek MTK6589, supplemented by 1 GB random access memory. I think there are already about fifty devices on the market with similar characteristics.

	Prestigion Multiphone PAP5044 Duo	Iconbit Mercury XL	Fly IQ444 Diamond 2	Jiayu G4	ThL W8	Huawei Honor 2
Screen	5″ IPS, 294 ppi	4.5″ IPS, 326 ppi	4.65″ SuperAMOLED, 315 ppi	4.7″ IPS, 312 ppi	5″ IPS, 294 ppi	4.5″ IPS, 326 ppi
Permission	720×1280	720×1280	720×1280	720×1280	720×1280	720×1280
O.C.	Android 4.2	Android 4.2	Android 4.1	Android 4.2	Android 4.1	Android 4.0.4 (4.1)
CPU		MediaTek MTK6589 (4 cores ARM Cortex-A7) @1.2 GHz	MediaTek MTK6589 (4 cores ARM Cortex-A7) @1.2 GHz	MediaTek MTK6589T (4 cores ARM Cortex-A7) @1.5 GHz	MediaTek MTK6589 (4 cores ARM Cortex-A7) @1.2 GHz	HiSilicon K3V2 Hi3620 (4 cores ARM Cortex-A9) @1.4 GHz
GPU	PowerVR SGX 544MP	PowerVR SGX 544MP	PowerVR SGX 544MP	PowerVR SGX 544MP	PowerVR SGX 544MP	Vivante GC4000
RAM	1 GB	1 GB	1 GB	1/2 GB	1 GB	1 GB
Camera		Rear 8 MP, front 2 MP	Rear 8 MP, front 2 MP	Rear 13 MP, front 3 MP	Rear 13 MP, front 5 MP	Rear 8 MP, front 1.3 MP
Battery	2000 mAh	1750 mAh	2100 mAh	3000 mAh	2000 mAh	2230 mAh
Dimensions and weight	145×73×8.6 mm, 130 g	129×68×8.6 mm, 124 g	135×70×8.6 mm, 135 g	133×65×10 mm, 145 g	144×74×9.9 mm, 151 g	134×68×10.5 mm, 145 g
Average retail price	N/A()	N/A()	N/A(0)	$360	8990 rubles	N/A(0)
Average price (Ya.Market)	T-10444909	T-10416718	T-10410707	T-10386116	T-9334573	T-9275643
Offers Prestigio PAP5044 (Ya.Market)	L-10444909-10

Design and appearance

With the cover closed, the Prestigio PAP5044 smartphone from a distance resembles a small notebook. The length, width, thickness, and color of the device body correspond to many examples of this stationery product. The smartphone developers did not reinvent wheels and simply incorporated all the developments of modern Chinese engineering into the Prestigio PAP5044 mobile devices and universal design. Take a look at the comparison table and notice how similar all the parameters of smartphones from the Middle Kingdom are - variations in size and weight are minimal, and the exteriors of these mobile computers are just as similar.

So, we have before us another representative of a large family of rectangular all-in-one smartphones with rounded corners and edges. Prestigio PAP5044 is made of black plastic with minor inclusions of dark gray - again, a universal solution. The only noticeable design feature of this particular smartphone is the smooth bends of the stiffener along the side edges of the body.

With such length and width, the Prestigio PAP5044 undoubtedly belongs to the category of tablet phones. Taking the smartphone in one hand and without sacrificing grip security, you can only reach a little further than the middle of the screen with your thumb. You can comfortably operate the Prestigio PAP5044 with only two hands.

The hero of the review itself is a very thin smartphone, but the cover adds a few millimeters to the overall thickness of the structure when folded and increases it by almost one and a half times when unfolded - it’s all about the bending of the cover fastening. However, this circumstance does not cause any particular inconvenience - on the contrary, it becomes more convenient to hold the smartphone by the edges, and instead of the slippery plastic of the back cover of the device, the palm comes into contact with the velvety surface of the inside cover. Due to the size and thickness of the cover, Prestigio PAP5044 fits comfortably in the hand. If you are right-handed, then the power control button is located exactly under your thumb. If not, then the volume control keys. By the way, pressing them is not very convenient - the very bend of the cover fastening interferes. Perhaps this is its only serious drawback.

The huge front panel of the Prestigio PAP5044 is covered with protective material. There is varying information about whether it is glass or plastic, but most likely it is a particularly durable plastic. The design of the front panel of the review hero as a whole is not satisfactory. The available space is used effectively, there are no empty spaces or wide frames. The gaps between the parts are minimal, the telephone speaker is covered with a grille and does not collect dust. Perhaps the only point that left a negative impression was the too high frame around the display. Fingers get caught in it when working with a smartphone, and dust collects in the cracks on both sides.

At the bottom of the front panel there are three touch buttons. All of them are illuminated, but the mechanism for turning on the backlight is strange: only after touching. Aren't they illuminated to make the buttons easier to find? And if you have already found and touched them, then why turn on the backlight?

Above the display are located: a telephone speaker, an additional camera, proximity and ambient light sensors. Under the speaker grille there is an information LED. In the left corner there is a sensor that interacts with a magnet built into the cover. The technology is similar to iPad covers: when the cover is closed, the sensor detects the presence of a magnet and turns off the smartphone display, and when the cover is opened, the smartphone comes out of hibernation. By and large, this is the main feature of the Prestigio PAP5044, which is unusual for the budget segment.

The back panel of the smartphone is the battery compartment cover. It has holes for the camera lens, additional microphone, flash and speaker. The huge Prestigio logo catches your eye. If most manufacturers of budget smartphones try to make logos and brand names as inconspicuous as possible, apparently fearing to damage the reputation of their customers with such an obvious demonstration of ownership mobile phone to the lower segment (for many in our country, and not only, the price and “coolness” of a mobile phone still, unfortunately, remain a sign of “status”), the Prestigio designers did exactly the opposite and, in my opinion, too overdone it. The huge logo resembles either the nameplate of a sports car manufacturer, or the emblem of a sports club - in any case, something shiny of this size on the back cover of a smartphone looks, to say the least, tasteless. I repeat, this is my subjective opinion.

When detaching the cover, it is easy to pick up the cover with a fingernail at the notch, but in the future you need to pull firmly on the edges and pick it up in several more places. Accumulator battery covers both SIM card slots and the memory card slot.

On the left side of the Prestigio PAP5044 there are volume control keys. On the right is the power control button. They have a fairly prominent shape, but a short stroke.

The lower end of the body of the review hero is used to place a telephone microphone. Headphone jacks (3.5 mm) and Micro-USB cable are located at the top end.

In general, the design and design of the Prestigio PAP5044 has more advantages than disadvantages. The smartphone is well assembled, there are no obvious defects, only sometimes the battery compartment lid creaks quietly. The Prestigio PAP5044 without the “dust jacket” looks standard, with it it looks more businesslike and mysterious, but it does not demonstrate any discoveries in the field of exterior design. This is probably what an ideal budget smartphone with a 5″ display should look like.

Display and sound

The screen of the Prestigio PAP5044 is perhaps one of the best in its class. A 5-inch matrix with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels is combined with a capacitive sensor and protective glass using OGS technology. OGS technology means that there are no gaps between all the components of the display layer cake, so when working with a smartphone, the image appears to be right under your fingers.

The screen pixel density of the review hero is slightly below the psychologically important mark of 300 ppi and amounts to 294 dots per inch. This does not affect the pleasure of working with Prestigio PAP5044 in any way: individual pixels are not noticeable, there are no “ladders” or blurry fonts - the picture is typically of high quality for an HD screen. Since the Prestigio PAP5044 has an IPS matrix, there is no color inversion when the view deviates from normal to the screen or the smartphone itself is tilted; colors always look bright and saturated.

The backlight of the screen of the review hero is very powerful: the maximum level is 550 cd/m², the minimum is 60 cd/m². With such a bright screen you can work comfortably even in strong external lighting conditions, such as the sun. In complete darkness, the opposite is true: the smartphone screen remains too bright even at the minimum backlight power level, and you cannot work with it for a long time in such conditions. The backlight power is adjusted manually or based on data from the ambient light sensor.

A detailed examination of the screen was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, there is a very effective anti-glare filter, which is slightly better in reducing the brightness of the reflection than the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Prestigio 5044 Duo, then they can be distinguished by size):

Due to the difference in color tone of the reflection and frames, it is difficult to visually assess the amount of reduction in the brightness of the reflection - however, statistics from graphic editor shows that the Prestigio's screen is darker than the Nexus 7's (average brightness values of 130 and 135, respectively). The ghosting of reflected objects in the 5044 Duo's screen is very weak, indicating that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, but slightly worse than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.

When manually controlling the brightness and displaying the white field in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 520 cd/m², the minimum was 60 cd/m². The maximum brightness is high, which, given the high efficiency of the anti-glare filter, should ensure excellent readability even on a sunny day outdoors. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level, although from the point of view of saving battery power, the minimum brightness could be lower. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (located to the left of the front camera). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. In complete darkness, in automatic mode, the brightness is reduced to 90 cd/m² (it could have been to a lower value), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux), the brightness is set to 215-280 cd/m² (acceptable), in a brightly lit environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) rises to 520 cd/m² (as would be expected). As a result, this function works more or less adequately. At lower brightness, there is some brightness modulation, but its amplitude is small, and the frequency is about 47 kilohertz, so the flickering of the screen cannot be visually seen and the presence of such modulation cannot in any way affect the comfort of working with this smartphone.

This smartphone uses an IPS matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even when viewing large deviations from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades, with the exception of the case of horizontal deviation to the right, when the darkest shades are inverted. For comparison, here are photos in which the same images are displayed on the PAP5044Duo and Nexus 7 screens, with the brightness of both screens set to approximately 200 cd/m². There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:

One can note good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

It can be seen, especially from the gray background, that the Prestigio’s picture is noticeably bluer than that of the Nexus 7. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors did not “float” on both screens, but the brightness decreased more on the Prestigio screen. The decrease in brightness at an angle is clearly visible in the case of a white field:

When deviated diagonally, the black field is lightened to a medium degree and acquires a purple tint. A photo from the Nexus 7 shows this for comparison (the brightness of the white areas is the same on both screens!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good, but not ideal:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is at the lower limit of typical IPS values - approximately 600:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 20 ms (10 ms on + 9 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 34 ms. The gamma curve constructed using 32 points did not reveal a blockage in the highlights, but in the shadows several shades are indistinguishable in brightness from black. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.18, which is close to the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve deviates slightly from the power dependence:

Color gamut is close to sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components with each other:

As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is average, since the color temperature is noticeably higher than the standard 6500 K, but the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is much less than 10, which is considered an excellent indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue, which has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (Dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

The screen has a high maximum brightness and an effective anti-glare filter, so you can use the smartphone without much difficulty even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level, although from an energy saving point of view the minimum brightness is still high. It is also possible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works more or less adequately. The advantages of the screen include a good oleophobic coating, the absence of flicker and air gaps in the layers of the screen, high black stability to the deviation of the gaze from perpendicular to the screen plane, and a coverage close to sRGB. There are minor complaints about the color balance, and the darkest shades are inverted when deviated in one direction, but overall the screen is characterized by a good set of consumer properties.

The touch sensor recognizes up to 5 simultaneous signals; no errors were noticed in its operation.

The sound subsystem of the Prestigio PAP5044 consists of two speakers and two microphones; there are two keys on the left edge of the smartphone body to control the volume. The volume of both speakers, telephone and main, is above average, sound quality is good. The telephone speaker allows you to communicate quite comfortably in a noisy place. The main speaker only begins to crackle at maximum volume when playing music with an abundance of low frequencies. There were also no complaints from telephone interlocutors regarding the performance of the microphones. Like many smartphones, if you cover the speaker hole on the rear panel with something, the sound volume will drop to almost zero.

The complete stereo headset deserves a “satisfactory” rating. It is not capable of reproducing bass, but in general it does a good job of playing music. The volume of the headset speakers is average; in a noisy place it will most likely be useless. The headset control unit is equipped with a microphone and a key; the headphones themselves cannot be disconnected from it. Pressing the button allows you to accept and reject calls, stop music playback and switch to the next track.

Using higher quality headphones with the Prestigio PAP5044 you can enjoy music, the power of the sound system allows this, there is no distortion, but there is a small but very unpleasant “glitch”. Headphones inserted into the 3.5 mm jack close the contacts in it when you press the plug or tilt it, as a result, the track spontaneously switches to the next one, as if a key was pressed on the headset control unit.

The Prestigio PAP5044 FM radio only works when headphones are connected, which act as an antenna. The receiver control program has a standard interface. You can specify the station frequency manually, conduct an automatic search, add the one you like to the list, output sound to the main speaker, record the signal to a file, and configure RDS. The signal reception quality is good.

Wireless Interfaces and Communications

All smartphones based on MediaTek chips that we reviewed support dual SIM cards. The hero of this review was no exception.

The simultaneous operation of both SIM cards is possible only in standby mode; as soon as a call arrives through one of the channels, the smartphone becomes unavailable through the second. Data transmission on the second channel is also interrupted.

Both SIM cards in the Prestigio PAP5044 work in GSM/2G networks, but only one of them - the main one - has UMTS/3G communication available. Unlike some other “dual-SIM” smartphones, the Prestigio PAP5044 cannot change the choice of the main SIM card on the fly and, thus, choose which of the two communication channels will work in 3G mode. You can change it and connect to high-speed Internet only by physically changing the SIM cards in the slots.

Prestigio PAP5044 successfully connected to the IEEE 802.11n Wi-Fi network with the TL-WR1043ND router as an access point. The theoretical data exchange speed was 135 Mbit/s, the real one was 20 Mbit/s.

Using the Bluetooth module, we were able to connect a computer and a Sony MW1 wireless stereo headset to the Prestigio PAP5044. In the first case, the hero of the review acted as a modem and distributed access to the Internet; in the second case, he provided access to his sound subsystem. The capabilities of the headset-smartphone combination remained at the basic level: listening to music without broadcasting track titles, answering phone calls with only the subscriber's number displayed without his name from the address book.

Determining the location of the Prestigio PAP5044 in space took a decent amount of time - about 5 minutes. However, in comparison with other smartphones with MediaTek chips, this is still fast. The slow operation of the GPS module is a well-known “generic” problem with the SoC of this company. A-GPS and EPO technologies somewhat speed up the process of determining coordinates, but even with downloaded and known data on the position of satellites, the smartphone takes a very long time to catch their signal.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the hero of the review successfully recognized a 64 GB memory card, but the external USB drive was not detected, despite the presence of the corresponding item in the “Memory” section of the smartphone settings.

Camera

The characteristics of two cameras and the range of their capabilities in the hero of the review are standard for modern budget Chinese smartphones: a main camera with a resolution of 8 megapixels (maximum image resolution 3264×2448 pixels), an additional camera with a resolution of 2 megapixels, LED flash, autofocus system.

The survey control program is built into the operating system and has a familiar appearance. On the left edge are the basic shooting settings, on the right are the “shutter release” buttons, starting video recording, going to the photo album and calling up a menu of additional options.

There is no separate key for controlling shooting in the Prestigio PAP5044. The start of the application and the camera is very fast, setting up autofocus and taking a photo also does not take much time.

For a budget smartphone, the hero of this review takes good pictures. The built-in camera is capable of capturing both panoramas and nearby objects. Defects in compression or image processing are almost invisible. HDR technology allows you to take better photos with extended dynamic range, but it is not suitable for shooting moving objects. It is equally powerless in the evening and at night, when there is insufficient external lighting.

Video recording is carried out in 3GP/MPEG-4 format (H.263@30 fps, HE-AAC/LC) with a resolution of 1920×1088 pixels.

HDR shot

Photo without HDR

Shot without flash

Flash shot

Software

During testing, the latest available firmware version was installed in the Prestigio PAP5044. The offer to update came almost immediately after turning on the smartphone; the process took a long time, but ended successfully. As a result, the smartphone sample in question ran Android 4.2.1.

The stock firmware is based on regular Android, any additional shells that greatly change the appearance operating system, are missing. But it was not without several features. The first thing that catches your eye is that when you start and shut down the Prestigio PAP5044, an animation in the style of Samsung Galaxy is demonstrated with music, a voice pronouncing the brand name, the inscription “The Art of High-Tech” and special effects. Coupled with the huge Prestigio logo on the case, this tells us about a certain excess of pathos from the smartphone manufacturer. Well, okay, the main thing is that after this doomsday, advertising (!) of some applications is shown: eReader Prestigio App and Navitel Navigator.

Generally speaking, the set of additional software that comes with the Prestigio PAP5044 firmware is quite significant. This is its second feature. It is not necessary to install all available programs; Installer Prestigio is a proprietary installer that allows you to make a choice and install only required applications. This allows you to save system memory smartphone, but in the firmware all programs are saved in any case.

Some applications are located in the smartphone’s memory initially, here is a list of them: Adobe Flash Player, Chess Free, Currency Converter, Google Currents, Facebook, Google Translate, Skype, Stock Alert, SugarSync, Twitter, RIA Novosti, Yandex.Search, Yandex.Maps, Yandex.Market, eReader Prestigio, Wonder Zoo, 250+ Solitaire Collect, Little Big City, Gameloft Live, OfficeSuite, Flashlight. The remaining applications, the list of which is listed on the Prestigio website, including Navitel Navigator, are downloaded and installed via the Internet. Most of them are trial versions with a time limit.

Among all this abundance of applications, I would like to draw your attention to two programs. eReader Prestigio, as the name implies, is a “reader” e-books. Among the program's features: a built-in literature store, book search and support for Adobe DRM. The latter function was not tested because it requires activation of the device on Adobe servers for it to work. The search for books does not work (at least, nothing was found for the query “war and peace”), their arrangement by sections, authors and titles in the database is more logical. The actual reading program is something very similar to FBReader - at least the appearance of these applications is identical. To purchase books, you need to register in your My Prestigio personal account with a PayPal account linked or bank card(which is not very convenient), the usual cost of the book is 100 rubles.

The second program I would like to mention is a replacement for the Android virtual keyboard. The Prestigio keyboard, which is the simple name of this application, turned out to be very convenient and attractive. Convenience lies in the large size of the keys and an additional row of numbers, cuteness lies in the color scheme and shape of the buttons. The program has few settings: localization, responses to key presses in the form of vibration and sounds, changing the style.

Speed and performance

The hardware of the Prestigio PAP5044 is standard for a modern budget Chinese smartphone: SoC MediaTek MTK6589, which includes 4 ARM Cortex-A7 computing cores, the maximum operating frequency of which is 1.2 GHz, and a PowerVR SGX 544MP graphics coprocessor, 1 GB of RAM, HD display with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels. The editors have already visited many smartphones with exactly the same parameters; we can say with confidence that the Prestigio PAP5044 is not the last.

Let's move on to our traditional performance tests.

Quadrant Standard

Geekbench 2

In modern benchmarks, the Prestigio PAP5044 remained on par with smartphones based on MediaTek MTK6589. Most of the models we selected for comparison were tested in the old version of the AnTuTu benchmark, so their results cannot be compared directly.

	Prestigio MultiPhone PAP5044 Duo	iconBIT Mercury XL	Fly IQ444	Jiayu G4	Alcatel OneTouch Scribe HD 8008D	iocean X7
Configuration		MT6589, 4x1.2 GHz ARMv7, 1 GB, 1280x720	MT6589, 4x1.2 GHz ARMv7, 1 GB, 1280x720	MT6589T, 4x1.5 GHz ARMv7, 2 GB, 1280x720	MT6589, 4x1.2 GHz ARMv7, 1 GB, 1280x720	MT6589, 4x1.2 GHz ARMv7, 1 GB, 1920x1080
3DMark, Ice Storm (scores, more is better)	3184*	1981*	2975	3823	3145	2999
Epic Citadel, High Performance (fps, more is better)	54,8	52,9	47,2	58,4	54,9	39,7
GLBenchmark, 2.5 Egypt HD (fps, more is better)	12	13	12	17	14	10
MobileXPRT 2013 Performance Tests (scores, more is better)	90	89	-	-	-	-
MobileXPRT 2013 User Experience Tests (scores, more is better)	89	86	-	-	-	-

*Test version 1.2

How often do you want to have two phones? Personally, I really don’t want to have two numbers and spend extra money on communication. But often it depends not on the person, but more on his work, for example. You need to have two (or more) numbers, and even if you crash... It’s scary to look at people who are looking in all their pockets for where they are calling. And okay, if they had an iPhone and Nexus, no - cheap dialers for $100. Noticing such people, I think it’s better to buy one cheap two-symbol. This is where Prestigio comes to the rescue.

We have recently tested a couple of dual-SIM phones from this company, and today we continue to look at the Multiphone DUO line. Over the past month, this is already the third smartphone of this brand that I was given. To be honest, when they gave me Prestigio again, I was not delighted, but after getting to know this device better, I was quite surprised. And in a good way. And that's why.

First impressions

Prestigio Multiphone 4040 DUO comes in the same box and with the same kit as other devices of this model range. The box is full of information - both text and pictures. Inside the box, in addition to the smartphone, there is a charger with a removable USB cable, a headset and information papers. The smartphone itself lies in a white plastic tray. Everything else is black and does not inspire admiration. The unpacking process can only surprise you with an unexpected smartphone for that kind of money. I liked it more than previous Prestigio options. For example, Multiphone 4300 DUO logically should have been cooler, this is evidenced by the price and “model numbers”. But Multiphone 4040 DUO looks much nicer. This, of course, is subjective, but I liked today’s hero of the review better.

No matter how strange it may sound, the smartphone is really nice, which was truly surprising given its price. The first startup did not go smoothly. I think that many could have fallen for this thing: after turning on the smartphone showed only one SIM card. The thought crept in that the smartphone had been in difficult situations before me, but an autopsy showed that the second (lower) SIM card should be installed with the chip facing up. Either due to inattention, or for other reasons, I didn’t immediately attach any importance to this, since usually the sim is installed with the chip down (that’s how I installed it right away). After I turned the SIM card over, everything fell into place, and I continued to get acquainted with the device.

Design, buttons, display...

You shouldn't expect good design from cheap smartphones. This may just be a stereotype, but you don't expect anything good from a $2,743 car. It's the same with smartphones. But this precedent is simply a break in the pattern. Initially, I thought that this device was more expensive, but after looking at its price, I was simply surprised. The design cannot be called bad, everything is in its place and looks normal. This model does not have the shortcomings that existed in the previous ones. For example, what lights up the buttons under the display is actually called backlighting in this model. In previous designs, this was a small opening at the end of a very long tunnel. The prefabricated body and creaks remain, but they are tolerable. Unlike the previous Prestigio Multiphone DUO we visited, the 4040's case materials don't look and feel as cheap.

Thus, the front part is almost completely occupied by the glass underneath that covers the display - only a small decorative part of the plastic. There is also a very small microphone hole. On top of the glass there is a slot for the speaker, next to which the front camera and “light and ear sensors” are located. There is a small gap between the case and the glass (thinner than a human fingernail), into which dust and other evil spirits collect. As already mentioned, the touch buttons below the display are well backlit. Only the “Menu” and “Home” buttons are rearranged, which is a little unusual. It’s hard to call it a minus, but at first it causes discomfort. By the way, there are not three, but four sub-screen buttons - Prestigio did not remove the search button. Personally, I have never used it and probably never will.

Not all elements are conveniently located on the sides of the case, although this can often be seen in Android devices. On the left is the volume rocker, on the right is Micro USB. On the top there is a headset jack and a small power button. The lower part received nothing, but in vain. It would be much more convenient to place the Micro USB at the bottom and leave the right side empty. The fact is that when the smartphone is connected to the computer or charging, it is very inconvenient to deal with the cord - it interferes with the conversation. And I would like the power button to be larger, otherwise it is quite tiny. Between the back and front on the side there is a decorative strip, slightly different in shade. The buttons are located on it.

The back cover is removable. It is made of soft touch plastic, which is very pleasant to the touch. The coating is easily soiled, and traces of use remain on it very easily (but can also be easily removed). The lid is covered with diagonal lines, only small areas at the top and bottom are smooth. The main camera and flash are located on top of the roof; they protrude from the body. The white inscription 5 MP AUTO FOCUS could have been omitted. On the other side of the camera there is an additional microphone. On the bottom of the lid there is a small Prestigio logo and a speaker slot. The speaker is not strong, it is quite easy to miss a call in noisy places.

What else we saved on was the display. The 4-inch TFT display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels suffers from terrible viewing angles. Few people like it when the picture begins to distort even at minimal tilts. When looking at this display from above, I almost dropped my eyes. But the display supports five touches simultaneously, and the sensor does not lag. As usual, I turned off auto-brightness; I wasn’t happy with how it worked. And if you choose the right background image, the display won’t look so cheap. This is where you shouldn’t have saved so much, in the picture. If the display looked better, the slightly higher cost could be forgiven.

Prestigio managed to make a normal case, with good materials and ergonomics. Of course, the device is not thin (almost 11 mm), and it weighs 140 grams. But this is not felt; attention is drawn to itself by a good soft touch on the back side. The glass looks better compared to other devices in the Prestigio line, even better than more expensive models. In general, the design is like that of inexpensive family cars - nothing outstanding, but at the same time it looks normal, fits well in the hand and does not cause disgust, which is not often found in the very budget sector.

Cameras, photos and videos

The weakest point of the device can easily be called the cameras. Here they are just for show. In practice, the front VGA camera does not shine at all; the pictures are less than the noise. It's the same on the other side, only 5 megapixels and a flash. It will take a couple of seconds for autofocus to work, but the desired frame may already be lost. It also happens that the camera takes a photo a little later than the animation occurs, and there will be a floor, a pocket, or, as in one test photo, a finger in the frame. Thus, plus/minus good pictures can only be obtained if there are few details, the frame is static and in good lighting. Flash in dark places will, of course, help, but the aesthetic appearance will be very weak. It’s not possible to talk much about such a camera; just look at the example photos and everything will fall into place. But, as for a very budget sector, the camera can even be praised a little. And it’s not worth reminding that dual-SIM users rarely focus on the camera’s capabilities when choosing a smartphone.

Hardware, software and battery

Be that as it may, for Android 4 to work normally on weak hardware you need to try. You also need to remember that the smartphone must be budget, and they save on every screw. Inside the Prestigio Multiphone 4040 DUO there was this: a single-core MT6575 Cortex A9 processor operating at a frequency of 1 GHz, PowerVR SGX 531 is responsible for video, 512 MB of RAM and a 4 GB drive, expandable with Micro SD memory cards up to 32 GB. In real conditions, this will allow the interface to work quite quickly and switch from application to application. But it’s clear that you won’t be able to play comfortably. AnTuTu tests gave a score of 4215, and NenaMark2 averaged 23 frames per second.

Popular wisdom: if games are not played, the smartphone lasts longer. And yes, the smartphone really works great without a power outlet. The battery capacity was 1500 mAh. For me it stayed stable for at least two days at medium load. For a two-year student, the result is quite good. And you need to take into account that it runs on Android 4.0.4. Here they did without their own launchers, there is a little additional software in the form of the Flashlight and eReader applications with terrible icons. But overall, I was pleased with the performance of the smartphone. Of course, it is not without flaws - there are application crashes, but they are not so regular that we need to focus on them.

Dual SIM cards

The operation of two SIM cards is the same as in the Prestigio Multiphone 4300 DUO. In short: in the settings there is a separate menu “Manage SIM cards”, where you can set priorities. In the “Phone” application, a call can be made through sim 1 or sim 2 (this is where, as usual, you need to remember which number is which operator). The same goes for messages. In a word, it was not very convenient at first, and nothing new was invented.

Technical characteristics of Prestigio Multiphone 4040 DUO

Dimensions: 124 x 64 x 10.9 mm.
Weight: 140 g.
Operating system: Google Android 4.0.4.
Processor: single-core, ARM Cortex A9, 1 GHz.
Graphics: PowerVR SGX Series 5.
Display: TFT, 4″, 480×800.
Memory: 4 GB, expandable with Micro SD memory cards.
RAM: 512 MB.
Camera: main - 5 MP, front - 0.3 MP.
Wireless technologies: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1.
Interface connectors: 3.5 mm headphone jack, Micro USB.
Battery: Li-Ion battery 1500 mAh.

The Prestigio Multiphone PAP4044 Duo smartphone has two SIM slots, a 4-inch display with a resolution of 800x480 pixels, an 8 MP camera, a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor and runs the Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system. As can be seen, the model under consideration does not have outstanding characteristics and is certainly not the manufacturer’s flagship, it captivates with completely different qualities - availability and packaging.

Design and ergonomics

Despite the small screen diagonal, the smartphone cannot be called compact; its dimensions are rather typical for devices of this class: 126x64x10.3 mm and weighing 124 grams. The build quality is traditionally high for the brand in question, the body does not creak when squeezed, and the parts have no play. Visually, the front and back parts are separated by a glossy silver insert that extends onto the back of the case in the upper right corner. There, symmetrically to this insert, the inscription 8.0 MP AUTO FOCUS is applied. Along the perimeter of the case, on the same silver insert, there are: on the right – the power key, on the left – the volume key, on the upper end – a headphone jack and a Micro-USB connector, and finally, on the lower end – the hole for the speaking microphone. The keys have sharp edges and protrude just enough above the body so that they can be easily found blindly. The key travel is short, with a characteristic click when activated. The recess for removing the rear panel is located at the lower end on the right side.

In addition to the standard display and speaker, the front panel is decorated with a proximity and light sensor, a camera, and three touch keys, from left to right: “Menu,” “Home,” and “Back.” The plastic bordering the glass of the front panel protrudes slightly above its surface, creating additional protection.

On the back side, in addition to the already described triangle in the upper left corner and the inscription with the camera resolution, there are: the camera itself, a flash, slots for the speaker and a large logo. Part of the removable panel has a textured pattern in the form of circles of different diameters, which not only improves the tactile sensations of the case, but also adds some variety to its appearance.

Under the removable panel there is a battery with a capacity of 1500 mAh, and three slots, two for SIM cards, located one above the other with a retractable niche, and one for memory cards.

Operating system and shell

Since our last communication with Prestigio smartphones, the manufacturer has managed to update the OS from Android 4.0.4 to Android 4.1.1. Today, releasing smartphones on earlier versions is considered bad form, so Prestigio decided to keep up with their closest opponents and also switched to a new edition of the popular operating system. Unlike first-tier manufacturers, models based on MediaTek SoC do not have their own shell and use almost bare Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a review of which can be read at this link. Since there are still some changes, we will talk about them further.

The most significant difference is the Notification Panel. Here, in addition to the notifications themselves, there are four tabs: three tabs responsible for display settings, activating wireless modules and selecting a sound profile, and the fourth, it appears only in some menus, for selecting the default SIM card. The menu where a temporary bookmark appears - dialing a number, or sending messages. It is in them, unless the user has specified which card to use by default for these actions, that you can find an additional bookmark. The SIM card settings menu itself is a complex of settings for selecting a card for calls, video calls (3G is supported only by the first slot), messages and data transfer. In addition, here you can specify how the smartphone will behave when roaming, and whether to warn the owner about this.

You cannot set different ringtones or message sounds on individual SIM cards.

The last item, which is found only in smartphones based on MTK processors, is the schedule for turning on/off the smartphone. It is designed to set the same settings, which should somewhat increase the autonomy of the device and get rid of unwanted calls, messages and other events at inopportune times.

The operation of the interface of the Android 4.1.2 operating system in the Prestigio Multiphone PAP4044 Duo smartphone can be called smooth, but the response to user actions is somewhat delayed, which may be associated with slowdown.

All Prestigio devices (smartphones, tablets) have a wide range of pre-installed software, most of which would be paid for users of other brands. For example, the 90-day version of Navitel.Navigator or OfficeSuite Pro. Full list applications, their brief description and the principle of operation of two SIM cards can be found in reviews of smartphones and.

Hardware platform

The smartphone is based on a system-on-chip MediaTek MTK6577 which includes two Cortex-A9 processor cores clocked at 1.2 GHz, a PowerVR SGX531 video accelerator, 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of ROM, of which just under 1 GB is available to the user.

As we said at the very beginning of the review, specifications The Prestigio Multiphone PAP4044 Duo smartphone puts it on par with models costing about 200-230 conventional units, while the recommended cost of the device in question is 1,400 hryvnia (approximately $175).

The smartphone demonstrates good performance for a budget device, but you need to understand that running resource-intensive applications and games will not give you pleasure.

Prestigio Multiphone PAP4044 Duo copes with watching video without difficulty. The hardware supports all popular formats (AVI, MP4, MKV) in resolutions up to Full HD! The need to install a third-party player may only arise when watching a video with AC3 sound, or if you want to have more settings. The standard player does not have them at all.

The sound volume from the speakers is average, the same applies to ringtones and listening on headphones. No problems were found with the quality of network reception, but the first search for GPS satellites takes more than five minutes, but even after that, the device was able to identify only six. The data transfer speed in the Wi-Fi network is one of the maximum.

Autonomy results for the Prestigio Multiphone PAP4044 Duo smartphone will be added later.

Display and camera

The model is equipped with a 4-inch TFT display with a resolution of 800x480 pixels and a pixel density per inch of 233 PPI. The matrix has good vertical viewing angles, which cannot be said about horizontal ones, when when looking at the display from below, the colors lose saturation and are inverted from above. The dynamic range of the display does not match the sRGB values, the color temperature test showed strange results, and regardless of the number of tests and settings, the result was the same - a linear scale starting at warm values and ending at cool values. But the gamma curve value turned out to be a reference value. The minimum and maximum brightness of the display is comfortable both for working in the dark and in bright sunlight. Brightness can be adjusted by the user or using a light sensor in automatic mode.

The main module with a resolution of 8 MP shows good results, if you do not view photos in one-to-one resolution, otherwise quite strong JPEG compression becomes noticeable: blurry transitions between tones and strong noise.

Example of 8 MP photos

Example of 8 MP photos taken in HDR mode

The front camera has a resolution of 0.3 MP and is designed for video conferencing. In good lighting, its capabilities are quite enough to ensure that you are clearly visible.

The smartphone copes well with video recording, the maximum resolution is 1920x1080 pixels, which is completely unusual for smartphones in this price range. When recording Full HD video, the bitrate is around 11.5 Mbit/s. Sound is recorded in stereo and video in 3GP format. Unfortunately, the quality of Full HD video cannot be called good: the image turns out to be oversaturated with noise and with noticeable twitching of the picture. The situation is somewhat better when recording HD video, there is no lag, but noise is still present.

Example of Full HD video recording

HD video recording example

Results

Prestigio Multiphone PAP4044 Duo is a smartphone that impresses with its affordability, support for two SIM cards, build quality, 2-year warranty, extended equipment and viewing and recording Full HD video. Not everything about it is perfect, for example, the quality of the recorded video will satisfy only the most undemanding users, but otherwise, the smartphone fully lives up to the expectations placed on it.

The model has no direct competitors; it is ahead of its opponents in terms of screen diagonal or hardware platform. You can pay attention to cheaper Fly smartphones from last year’s model range, for example, Fly IQ442. In terms of characteristics, it is closest to the PAP4044 Duo, but it is not possible to find it with an official guarantee for the same amount as the Prestigio; moreover, it is slightly inferior in terms of camera, OS version and performance, while it has a slightly more capacious 1600 mA *h versus 1500 mAh battery.

More and more often I notice people have two-symbols. This is really convenient for those who have “home” and “work” mobile phones. There is also a share of users who do not want to switch to another operator with 3G/4G (especially important in Ukraine), because changing the number is simply not an option. Personally, the last time I changed my phone number was back in school, and I had already graduated from university twice. And so many people have my number that I physically cannot tell everyone that I changed it. At the same time, communication via Edge is not only sad, it is incredibly disastrous. And I really want to use the fast Internet!

This is how thoughts about two-symbols appear. It's quite convenient. After all, for people with a bunch of phones, a dual-SIM phone frees up their pockets and adds comfort. And for those who like to surf the Internet, this is a solution to the problem of changing their number. But here's another question - price! After all, famous brands ask quite a lot of money for their devices. And in such cases, people often turn to less popular brands. One of these rapidly growing competitors is the Prestigio brand, which is beginning to gain an audience of interested people at breakneck speed. Today I will show you another device from the Multiphone line - PAP 5044, and, looking ahead, I will say that I did not expect this. Make yourself comfortable!

First impressions

Recently in the evening Sasha writes to me: “I have a new Prestigio on my table for you. Come on! :)". I dropped into the office to pick up a new device and was somehow surprised. If you don't look at the Prestigio logo (which, by the way, already looks very cool), you might get a little confused. It looks much more interesting than the previous options. The quality of the case is pleasing; the material of the standard cover is very pleasant to the touch. But then I opened this cover! The “open and the display lights up” effect (like a tablet from a very well-known company) was transferred to a smartphone. Prestigio did it great! The OGO effect is present at 154%.

What's next? Let's start setting up the smartphone. Android 4.2.1 is a pleasant surprise. We enter your account information and jump into installing applications. If you rush in suddenly and install a “pack” of different software at once, you can get a couple of spontaneous reboots. It’s not just Chinese brands that do this, I’m personally used to it. But then there are no problems. Moreover, it also works quickly. But I’m already getting completely ahead of myself. After installing the applications and general settings I, as usual, began to meticulously examine the body. Here we will begin to talk in detail.

Design, buttons, display...

Let's start with the fact that this is not small smartphone. It's 5 inches, framed in plastic. Of course, you can use it with one hand, but it’s inconvenient. And I'm not finding fault with this model specifically, this is a problem with all large devices. But the device feels well assembled. Large devices, especially plastic ones, often crunch, but not our guest today. Even when twisting, the crunch is almost inaudible. With dimensions of 145 x 73 x 8.6, the weight of the device is 130 grams, and this is one of the lightest in the five-inch category. But it leaves a pleasant feeling in the hand, in all respects.

Included is interesting feature. Prestigio usually includes a phone not only with a headset and charger, but also with a branded case. The 5044 went a little further - the kit includes a replaceable back cover with a cover covering the front. To be honest, I was skeptical about it, but in practice it turned out that I was wrong. The first point is protection. It's nice to know that glass once again protects something. The second is “magic” with turning the device on and off by opening/closing the cover. This will only be inconvenient for those who take a lot of photographs, since they will have to struggle with the cover in every possible way, but this is a matter of habit. It is also worth noting the fact that the lid without a cover is quite a bit larger on top, and even though it is securely attached, it still protrudes slightly above the body. This does not affect the work in any way, but the aesthetic impression is not very good.

There are no innovations in the placement of work elements. At the top of the back of the case there is a convex square camera window with a silver outline. Under the camera there is a flash and an additional microphone for recording sound during video shooting. On the bottom of the back there is a large mirrored Prestigio logo and a speaker. Now on the sides. There is a power button on the right side, and a volume rocker on the left. At the bottom there is only a microphone, and at the top there is a headset jack and Micro USB. Everything is fine, only Micro USB at the bottom would be more convenient - answering a call when the smartphone is charging is subjectively inconvenient.

The front side looks much better than all the previous Prestigios that came to us. And even if familiar elements are visible somewhere, this is not so important. The cool thing is that the air gap has disappeared, as has the outline of the display being turned off. This, as you yourself understand, adds +14 to the appearance and overall impression! Above the display is the earpiece grille, under which the activity indicator is also hidden, and a little to the right are the light/face sensors and the front camera. Below the display are touch buttons “Menu”, “Home” and “Back”. By the way, I like the presence of touch buttons more than the option without them; there is no black stripe at the bottom of the display, which also adds a couple of advantages to the appearance.

The display doesn't spoil the impression either. Vice versa! This is 5'' HD. That is, 1280 x 720 for five inches is not a miracle, but it looks very good. The pixel density is 293 ppi, and this is quite enough to avoid seeing the “ladder” on round interface elements. Moreover, this is an IPS display, the picture is clear and beautiful. The colors are rich and soft. The backlight is sufficient for working in the sun, although there is not much headroom and the +/- range is small. The sensor understands up to five simultaneous presses and does not slow down, like the touch buttons under the display. In short, the only thing that can slightly spoil the impressions of working with such a screen is a bias towards resolution. My feelings from working with him are only positive.

Maybe the design isn’t the most eye-catching, and you can find borrowed elements somewhere, but it’s still worth its price. At the same time, good assembly and quite pleasant appearance should not disappoint potential buyers. With a fairly large case size, the device is convenient to use. Another thing is that full use is possible only with two hands, but, again, when buying a five-inch smartphone, the user should not count on ease of use with one hand.

Cameras, photos and videos

Very quickly, the presence of two cameras in smartphones and phones has become commonplace, without which a certain discomfort is felt. We are used to taking pictures of food and taking portraits of ourselves with friends. Our today's Prestigio received both necessary cameras. The 2 megapixel front one shows you perfectly only in good lighting. During the day it will be cool on the balcony, but in a room with artificial light the colors will be lost, everything will look a little dark and there will be a lot of noise.

The situation with the main camera is different. This is no longer 2, but 8 megapixels, and there is a flash. The sound is recorded using an additional microphone. In practice, again, in good light the camera behaves normally, but in poor light its capabilities are not the strongest. Sometimes autofocus misses (at such moments you will need to give the camera a little time - and it will adjust). But the camera can (and should) be praised for the quality of daytime shooting. Let me remind you that we are not talking about top-end smartphones, but about the middle class. So, during the daytime you can get a good shot indoors with good lighting, but otherwise it will be a little noisy. The clarity is also not the highest, but it should be enough for most. Yes, demanding photo geeks won’t like this, but if the user’s camera is not in the first place, then there won’t be any special complaints about it. A few examples for clarity - and let's move on to the hardware.

Hardware, software and battery

The Prestigio PAP5044 DUO will outperform all previous dual-sim cards that the company presented earlier. Of course, this is not a flagship, but those models that we boldly called “average” a year ago are blown away. So, inside the PAP5044 they placed MTK 6589 (quad-core ARM Cortex A7), operating at a frequency of 1.2 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, PowerVR SGX544 and a 4 GB drive (a little less than two are available to the user) with the ability to add Micro SD memory cards. Everything works great, in tests it shows very unexpected (as for Prestigio) results. Honestly, I was surprised by its capabilities. In Real Racing 3 you can look in mirrors, there are reflections. And there is no excessive heating, which is also very nice.

The device runs Android 4.2.1 without modifications. Only a traditional advertising screen when turned on. But it can be justified by a software package for Prestigio with the ability to install through its own utility, and you don’t need to surf the Play Market once again, you just need to mark the ones you need and wait for installation. The interface itself works quickly and without delays, although hitches are rare. But, in general, you can work with such a device without Corvalol. On the contrary, the user will be very pleased, especially for that kind of money. And, by the way, it will not discharge in 10 minutes. A 2000 mAh battery will allow you to work comfortably during an active working day. And given the fact that it can be removed, extra battery will only brighten up a long trip.