A Review of Cubot X18 Plus

Cubot is renowned for producing stunning smartphones and wearable devices at a budget price. With their global customer base, Cubot has once again managed to shock the world with their latest Cubot X18 Plus FHD+ smartphone. Although this device is priced at $150, it does not employ “cheaper” hardware by any means. On the contrary, Cubot has once again upped their ante by introducing yet another amazing budget phone with some enticing hardware and latest software under the hood.

Cubot X18 Plus is also bezel-less, barring the top and bottom, which could have been avoided but they do not block out the much-needed screen in any manner. In other words, the body to screen ratio of this device is A-Grade and worth the try. Aside from the gorgeous display, the device also packs pretty decent hardware specs that we don’t usually see in mid-range phones within this price bracket.

Design and build quality

Designing a remarkable product is challenging especially in the smartphone manufacturing sector. Cubot has done pure justice to their $150 priced X18 Plus by making it bezel-less and giving it a longer 5.99″ screen whilst keeping it thin.

This bezel-less smartphone is only 8.5mm in thickness and packs all the traditional aspects such as a front camera, a flashlight, an earpiece and an LED notifier at the top bezel. As far as the bottom bezel is concerned, frankly speaking, that could have been avoided since Cubot X18 Plus does not have a clickable ‘Home’ button. Instead, it has a 0.1 second fast and secure fingerprint scanner on the rear that is easy to reach even while holding the phone with one hand. Similar to most other Android phones in the market, the Cubot X18 Plus also makes use of on-screen buttons for navigation.

The right side consists of a volume button and a power button, while the left features a SIM card/microSD slot. The bottom is where is the USB Type-C charging port and dual speaker grills are located.

Build quality wise, Cubot has not shared any details regarding the material used, but it appears to be some form of high-quality plastic that gives it a glass-like appearance. Does this mean that your fingerprints will be all over it? Possibly. But that shouldn’t stop you from checking out this amazing smartphone. You could find skins for it almost everywhere.

Same goes for the screen, there’s no information about the Gorilla Glass screen protection, so you might need to get a stronger protection for that too.

Display of Cubot X18 Plus

The screen design is the highest point of attraction with X18 Plus. It’s 5.99″ in size, that is, 0.49″ longer than iPhone 6 Plus. This gives users a cleaner visible area while maintaining the same width that global users have grown accustomed to. Additionally, it has an 18:9 aspect ratio with a 403 PPI, high contrast 1300:1, 16M colors display with 2160×1080 pixels of screen resolution. All this to say that there won’t be any distracting pixels in sight.

Performance

Only 0.7% of the all the Android phones in the world are shipped with Android 8.0 Oreo right now and Cubot X18 Plus comes with it out of the box. This is surprising to see in a budget phone since it drastically eliminates the OTA wait times.

One of the primary concerns that a user has when deciding whether or not to invest in a budget phone is regarding its performance. But even in this aspect Cubot takes the lead. The phone packages an MTK6750T Octa-Core processor with each core clocked at 1.5GHz. For gamers, this is a great news as well, since there was no lag or drop in frame rate experienced at the time of testing; thanks to Mali T860 MP2 GPU.

The device comes packed with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage out of the box. It’s worth noting that the X18 Plus has a microSD slot that lets you expand the storage up to 128GB.

Camera & Image Quality

Image quality is just about satisfactory, although X18 Plus mounts dual rear cameras, 20MP and 2MP with autofocus and flashlight. The front-facing 13MP is great for selfies and it’s another selling feature of this smartphone. You could grab a good picture even in dimly lit conditions but it’s better you keep your expectations to a minimum. The video holds a steady 1080 pixels quality which is above average and a great news for YouTubers.

Battery Life

Battery life has always been a major concern for smartphone users since the beginning of the time. Even in this budget category, the X18 Plus doesn’t disappoint with its 4000 mAh battery. On an average, a user should get a minimum of 6 hours on-screen time even with a regular use. One should expect at least 48 hours of standby time with a battery of this size.

Of note, it takes about 1.5 hours to charge this smartphone from 0% to 100%, although the Chinese firm has not advertised about X18 Plus’ fast-charging features.

One of the cons is that you might not be able to use the device to make calls or even carry out text messages while it is still charging at about 2-3%. The battery has to have at least 10% charge before you can turn it on.

Sound Quality

Headsets are leading the way in the world, so it might not be a major concern anymore but it is worth the mention that Cubot X18 Plus has an average speaker quality. That is not to say it isn’t loud or crisp, it is good on both fronts. With a price tag of $150, Cubot has made it as impressive as it can be.

Audio quality over headphones and Bluetooth is high-end with strong bass that offers a premium iPhone-like sound system.

Quick specs of Cubot X18 Plus

• Display: 5.99 inches, 2160X1080 pixels 403 PPI Full HD screen resolution
• CPU: MTK6750T 1.5GHz Octa Core
• System: Android 8.0 Oreo
• Storage: RAM 4GB, ROM 64GB and expandable up to 256GB
• SIM Card slot and type: Dual SIM, Dual Standby & Nano SIM Card
• Camera: 13MP front facing, 20MP + 2MP rear cameras with AF and flashlight
• Battery: 4000 mAh large battery,  non-removable
• Sensors: Fingerprint recognition, Fingerprint Unlocking, GPS, Light Sensor Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Gravity Sensor
• Connectivity: Bluetooth V4.0, 2G GSM, 3G WCDMA, FDD-LTE, WIFI 802.11b/g/n wireless internet

Pros

• Budget smartphone
• Sound quality is impressive
• Good looks
• Android Oreo with no bloatware
• Large screen
• Long-standing battery
• Higher screen clarity, 403 PPI, 1080 Full HD+ display
• Great value for the money
• Comes in black and blue colors

Cons

• Rear camera quality could have been better
• Does not consist of an all metal body like most others

Cubot X18 Plus video review

Cubot X18 Plus Review: Should you buy it?

It could be said without a speck of doubt this device is a budget-friendly powerhouse for $150. If you’re looking for a very powerful smartphone but can’t break the bank for the same, then you might want to seriously consider the X18 Plus as your next handset. If camera quality isn’t your number one priority, then you’ll be amazed by the features and other specifications offered by this cheap smartphone.

So, are you considering to purchase Cubot X18 Plus for yourself or as a gift? The popular electronics retailer, Gearbest is currently running a sale where you could own X18 Plus at a 22% discount.