Ice baby: review of Highscreen ICE 2 - a glass Android smartphone with two screens

For N years now, all the smartphones in the world look the same. Parallelepipeds with a full face screen. And what do you tell marketers to do? How to attract the buyer’s attention specifically to your own parallelepiped?

Highscreen marketers thought for a long time. And they came up with the idea of ​​making a second screen. Small, only 0.88″. And inexpensive. Not some fancy E-Ink, but a regular two-color OLED.

OK then. Done. It turned out to be a funny feature that no one else has. All that remains is to figure out what to do with this feature.

Here is the second screen of Yotafon - it’s clear why. First, we save energy. Secondly, I personally find it easier to read from an ink screen.

I also understand why ancient folding phones had second screens. You can immediately see the name of the caller, convenient.

But what can be displayed on a small additional screen of a smartphone that already has a large main screen? And, most importantly, why put it there? I don't know. And no one seems to know.

Maybe show the time, weather, battery charging? Can. All this is shown either when you press the power button (but then the main screen also lights up), or once every few minutes. Place your smartphone in front of you with its back facing up - it will show you the weather and everything else every ten minutes.

You can also show the name of the caller. Whichever way you pull ICE 2 out of your pocket, you will immediately see who is calling you.

And finally, you can show notifications from applications. You received two messages in Telegram and one letter by mail - ICE 2 will show you an icon and the number three in its micro-window...

Convenient, meaningful? Well, I wouldn't say so. In my opinion, the only benefit of a second screen is to show off it. Look, look! You don't have that!

If we ignore the additional screen, it turns out that the Highscreen ICE 2 is a very nice and solid phone. The hardware, of course, is not the most modern and does not support 4G. But fast. There is a lot of memory, the battery is far from the worst. The appearance is excellent.

Flaws? Probably not serious. Perhaps not the most reliable GPS support. Plus, you need to understand that the camera here is not top-class at all. Otherwise everything is fine.

My rating is a solid 8 points out of 10 possible.

Competitors

A smartphone with a second screen? No, ICE 2 has no competitors here and is not expected (who said “Elusive Joe?!”)

If you look for similar or better devices based on boring technical parameters, it turns out quite interesting.

What are we looking for? Diagonal from 4.7″ to 5″, good hardware, decent battery, plenty of RAM

The standout, of course, is the Huawei Honor 4C. If you are lucky enough to buy it at a promotional price. And also some mysterious Effire A7 with LTE support. I don't know what kind of animal it is.

Well, several devices with thick, very thick batteries.

With some surprise I have to admit that there are not so many competitors.

No. It is clear that you can always soften the requirements and then the number of applicants for your money will increase significantly. Devices powered by MTK6582 or Snapdragon 410 are, by and large, quite edible. And two gigabytes of RAM are also not always needed and not everyone needs them.

Highscreen Ice 2 :: Review :: User Interface

The smartphone runs Android 4.4.2 OS without any shells, and in the future it should receive an update to version 5.

The lock screen is as simple as possible, but there is more than enough information on it: in addition to the current time and date, the unlock ring and the name of operator networks, there is a status bar with indicators of signal strength and battery charge percentage.

The number of desktops is traditionally selected based on needs and filled as needed with application shortcuts, folders and widgets. Wallpaper, just like the lock screen, can be either pictures from the default gallery or captured/downloaded content.

If the bottom line of all screens contains a customizable “dock” of main functions, then at the top we see the already familiar status bar, by scrolling down we get access to the notification area. Here, too, by tapping on the corresponding icon, there is a sheet with shortcuts for launching wireless modules and related functions.

The main menu is matrix, 4x5 icons, in which new ones are automatically created when the screen is full and can be accessed by swiping to the left.

The settings menu is designed as a vertical lined and grouped list, with a monochrome icon located to the left of the name of the personalization item.

Equipment

The equipment is typical. The device itself, pieces of paper, headphones, charger, Micro-USB cable, nail clip for installing SIM cards.

Photos of the delivery set (3 pcs.)

Ice or no ice? Review and testing of the Highscreen Alpha Ice smartphone

Editor's note: So, it's finally happened. Following the trends of the times, our portal will now sometimes contain not only news about mobile devices, but also their reviews. We immediately hasten to reassure our readers: smartphones/tablets and other wearable technology will not be tested to the detriment of computer hardware; no one plans to reduce the number of reviews of the latter. But we need to keep up with progress, so the laboratory will sometimes also consider the most interesting mobile devices. And the first relevant review is in front of you.

Table of contents

• Introduction
• Packaging and equipment
• Appearance and design
• Display
• Performance, software and user experience
• Multimedia part
• Memory
• Communications and wireless capabilities
• Autonomous operation
• Camera
• Conclusion

Introduction

The shelf of inexpensive but beautiful HD smartphones has arrived! began selling its new smartphone Highscreen Alpha Ice.

First of all, it is interesting because, at a cost of only 10,990 rubles, it has a high-quality IPS screen matrix with a resolution of 720 × 1280 pixels. Moreover, the choice of solutions with similar characteristics in this price category is small; these are mainly non-branded Chinese models that are sold unofficially in Russia.

Another feature of the smartphone is its design and dimensions. The phone turned out to be very thin and compact, the display diagonal is 4.7 inches. Thus, the developers of this model ensured that Alpha Ice, among the variety of devices with similar technical specifications, stood out favorably due to its ergonomic parameters, IPS matrix and minimalistic design, somewhat reminiscent of the Apple iPhone 5.

Add to this two slots for SIM cards and the ability to expand the internal memory using MicroSD cards, and you get a very tasty set of characteristics. However, only testing will show how it all works together.

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It's time to check how "ice" this phone is.

Packaging and equipment

The packaging design style of the latest Highscreen models has changed somewhat. And, in my opinion, this happened for the better. The box is compact and rectangular, its dimensions are 37 x 97 x 203 mm, the predominant background is matte black.

On the front side, the silhouette of a smartphone appears in two angles, most likely made using embossing. Next to it, in small font, are the main technical characteristics of the device. Below is a reminder about free 20 GB of cloud storage for the 4Sync service and the manufacturer’s website Highscreen.org.

There are no inscriptions on the ends of the box. The model name is printed on the sides, and on the right side there is a sticker with technical markings: device brand, barcodes, model, certification marks and Imei numbers with serial number.

On the back of the package there is a QR code leading to the manufacturer’s website, certification marks, a barcode and an inscription notifying us that the smartphone was developed in Russia, by the Highscreen company (Designed by Highscreen in Russia), and manufactured in China.

It remains to be noted that the box is made of thick and durable cardboard, very pleasant to the touch, looks stylish and expensive.

It's time to look inside. As soon as we pull out the inner part, which is made of thick cardboard, the eye falls on the device, located in the niche of the cardboard box divider and packed in a shipping bag. There is a film on the screen on which the main technical characteristics and features are indicated.

The delivery set is located under a cardboard divider with a niche for a smartphone. It includes:

• Micro-USB cable;
• Brief instructions with a warranty card;
• Stereo headset;
• Charger with input voltage from 100 to 240 V and frequency 50/60 Hz. The output voltage is +5 V, with a current of 1 A;
• Additional replaceable cover in white, slightly pearlescent color.

There is nothing else interesting in the box.

Appearance and design

The smartphone is available in one color, but with two back cover options: black and white. In my opinion, the black color creates the impression of greater thoughtfulness and completeness; the device looks more interesting than with a white cover.

The device in question vaguely resembles the design of the Apple iPhone 5, the same neat and small “brick”, but made of plastic and with Android on board.

The dimensions of the device are 138 x 66.7 x 7.5 mm, weight – 120 g. Despite the fact that there are lighter smartphones, Alpha Ice feels like fluff in the hand. And thanks to its small size, it fits very comfortably in the palm of your hand. To reach the top of the display, the phone does not need to be “rolled” across your entire hand.

For the back cover, glossy plastic of white pearlescent color is used, in another version - black plastic. This one is already matte (but without the rubberized soft-touch coating). This type of plastic is quite pleasant to the touch. Much better than many Korean phones, which use a glossy and extremely easily soiled plastic coating. The device does not tend to slip out of the hand on its own, but the danger of dropping the device through carelessness still exists, since the plastic itself glides well in the hand.

The boundaries of the front panel abruptly merge with the plastic ends, resulting in a small edge being formed along the contour. The edging of the device is made of the same matte black plastic. And due to the fact that the black version is made in a matte finish, the lid does not immediately become stained with fingerprints, and small scratches on it are not noticeable. It is not difficult to wipe off fingerprints from the lid; an ordinary “microfiber” cloth can easily cope with this task. Of course, over time, with prolonged daily use, small abrasions may appear along the edges.

All parts were painted with high quality; I did not find any chips or other defects.

The display is covered with a protective glass panel - it is not Gorilla Glass, but it is also very durable and did not get scratched after two weeks of active use of the smartphone. The surface of the glass is easily soiled, marks are visible, but are erased relatively easily. There is no oleophobic coating on the device, but the finger glides well.

The front panel of the smartphone features a speaker covered with a plastic mesh, light and distance sensors, a 3 MP camera, and a 4.7” display. Below the screen are comfortably located three touch buttons “Back”, “Home” and “Menu”, indicated by a dim white backlight. If you disable it, then these keys can only be found intuitively.

On the back there is a 13 MP camera with dual LED flash, a loudspeaker and an additional microphone. On the right is the volume rocker and power button, on the left is empty, at the top is a 3.5 mm headphone jack, at the bottom is a conversational microphone and a Micro-USB port.

The device is assembled normally. Regardless of which socket is placed on the smartphone, there are no creaks or backlashes. The case does not crunch when compressed or twisted. But it must be said that the cover is pressed down the center to the battery. It gives the impression of emptiness under the lid. The latter must be opened carefully, as the legs holding it may be damaged.

To open the cover, you need to pry it by the notch on the lower right side. The lid is light, looks quite durable, and bends well.

Just above the battery there are three slots. One for a standard large SIM card, and to the right is a slot for installing a Micro-SIM. On the left side of the smartphone, relative to the SIM card slots, there is a slot for installing a MicroSD memory card, however, for some reason it is skewed. I hope this is a feature of only my test device.

Display

Highscreen Alpha Ice has a display with a diagonal of 4.7 inches (physical size -58 x 104 mm). The resolution is high - 1280x720 pixels (HD) and is the standard for modern smartphones. Density – 320 pixels per inch, naturally, pixelation is not visible.

The matrix is ​​made using IPS technology using OGS (One Glass Solution) - a technology for producing touch screens without an air gap between the touchscreen and the display panel, the principle of which is to combine protective glass and display elements into one. In addition to making the display thinner, this technology increases the viewing angle and improves readability in bright sunlight. And the display itself belongs to the highest grade screens (A-Grade).

The image quality is very decent, the rich but natural colors are especially pleasing.

Screens for Highscreen Alpha Ice are produced by Sharp, famous for its IPS matrices. The quality of the screen is really excellent and practically does not differ from the quality of matrices in more expensive models from other manufacturers. At an angle, Alpha Ice shows good results in color rendering, viewing angle and contrast.

Below you can see the advantages of an IPS display at an angle.

The brightness of the backlight of the Alpha Ice matrix is ​​relatively high, the information is quite readable in the sun.

Appearance

Glass on both sides, plastic on the sides. I don't like gloss too much, especially this double-sided one. But I have to admit that the smartphone is beautiful.

Particular attention, of course, to the back surface. Firstly, there is an additional screen here. Secondly, very interesting colors. Under the glass there is something shimmering blue-violet.

The smartphone is available in two colors: “Galaxy Blue” (like mine) and white, “Arctic White”.

Non-separable. Build quality, materials, etc. - at the proper level. I was pleased with the oleophobic coating. It is there, it is there on both glass sides. And it's good.

The glass is, of course, slippery. But the plastic sides seem to be slightly sticky. Those. Ice 2 is still slippery, of course. But it doesn’t break out of your hands nearly as violently as, for example, the Sony Xperia Z3 or the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge.

Boring details about appearance with photographs

Before. Top. Front camera, sensors, ear speaker.

Before. Bottom. Android touch buttons. The central round “Home” button doubles as an LED and can shimmer in a variety of colors. The side buttons “Menu” and “Back” are just dots. There is a backlight, but it is dim. Just right for the dark. For daylight it's a little dim. This is especially true for the LED button. Noticing with peripheral vision that the phone is signaling something to you is problematic.

What’s extremely nice is that you can configure the buttons so that their backlight is on the entire time the screen is on.

Rear Top. In the very corner there is a camera. Radishes. The same place where you constantly close it with your finger. Nearby there is a flash and a microphone for noise reduction. And the second display window.

Rear Bottom. External speaker.

Top edge. Audio output, power-lock button. After all, this button is located on the side, not on the top. Inconvenient and unusual.

Bottom. Micro-USB connector and main microphone.

Right side. Volume rocker and a flap under which the Micro-SD memory card is hidden.

Left side. There are SIM cards (Micro-SIM, 2 pcs.) You poke them into the holes with a nail clip and a sled pops out. Conventional system.

Highscreen Ice 2 :: Review :: Appearance

The appearance of the new product is only ordinary at first glance: when not in use, the front panel of the ICE 2 is similar to most typical Android smartphones, both in its strict shape with rounded corners and in the black design under the protective glass. Taking the device in your hands, activating the indicators and spinning it, you begin to understand that it has a certain charm and it is expressed in the customizable home key indicator, the presence of an additional screen for notifications on the rear panel, and the rear panel itself is somewhat reminiscent of outer space , but let's not get ahead of ourselves. We tested the device in Galaxy Blue color, and Arctic White & Night Gray options are also available for sale. Our chameleon color guest is the most unusual and looks very beautiful.

So, the front panel with an oleophobic coating and scratch-resistant glass is similar in strength to the back panel. Both halves of the case turn into a black matte edging of the panel, which in turn turns into dark gray plastic that looks like metal. The assembly of the structure is good: all parts fit tightly and without gaps to each other, there is no creaking even with noticeable compression. The dimensions of the smartphone with a 4.7″ screen can be described as average, and the weight is moderate: when working with the menu and during conversations, the dimensions do not cause any inconvenience.

Let's move on to the details and, according to tradition, begin our story with the dominant feature - the display. The large IPS matrix has a good, but not excessive resolution, although this does not affect the clarity of the picture in any way: even the fonts are sharp. In addition, the screen is bright with a good margin, the colors are saturated, and the viewing angles are maximum. The sensor is capacitive, supports up to 5 simultaneous touches and generally copes well with entering text and commands.

Above the screen there is a slot for the earpiece, to the left of which we see the front camera lens and, if you look closely, position and proximity sensors. Below the screen there is a strip of touch keys for home, menu and back. The last two do not have obvious indicators, which is why they are misleading at first, but the first one has a built-in light indicator that can be customized at your discretion (change the color and flicker intensity).

On the left side of the case, closer to the top edge, there are two compartments for micro-SIM, made like the usual consoles with the ability to be removed with a supplied paper clip, and on the right there is a small volume rocker and a compartment-sled for micro-SD, covered with a non-removable plug. The bottom end is given over to the micro-USB interface connector and the main microphone, and on the top there is a 3.5mm audio jack and a power button.

The rear panel of the case with a large manufacturer's logo, in addition to the call speaker at the bottom and the noise reduction microphone at the top, houses a rear camera with a flash, as well as the highlight of ICE 2, a small display for a notification scroll. This solution will allow you not to turn on the main screen and not waste your battery if you need to see the date and time, and also decide whether to react after receiving a notification. At the same time, this screen can be customized to suit you: from scrolling speed to displayed notifications, plus the ability to deactivate. As you probably already guessed, the body of the new product is not collapsible and the user does not have access to the battery.

The delivery set is familiar: in a bright box, in addition to the device itself, you will find a mains charger, a USB cable, a wired stereo headset, a warranty card and an instruction manual. The set is necessary and sufficient.

Internals (iron)

Iron has been well known to everyone for a long time. Not very fast cores, but there are a lot of them. The performance is appropriate - good.

Lots of memory - both RAM and built-in flash. Moreover, Android is clean, no RAM-consuming shells.

They did a smart job with flash memory. There is a lot of it. Those. If you are not a gambling addict, not a photomaniac, and do not watch three episodes of Game of Thrones a day on your smartphone, you can safely not install a memory card. But if you install it, it will become the main memory and the installation of programs will go entirely to it.

Sensors Standard "non-budget" set. Accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, illumination, proximity.

The results of my tests for elementary actions:

Synthetic parrot tests (screenshots, 3 pcs.)

Highscreen Ice 2 :: Review :: Hardware Specifications

In terms of hardware in ICE 2, as can be seen from the starting table, everything is quite good: the processor is eight-core and there is quite a lot of memory. We have run the standard benchmark tests that we use in our reviews and invite those who like to count in parrots to familiarize themselves with the screenshots. We would like to add that during the tests the device heats up a little, which, however, does not detract from its speed: there are no problems with scrolling the interface, launching standard and third-party, even “heavy” applications.

The battery life of the device is approximately 12-14 hours with one hour of calls, a dozen or more messages, periodic checking of mail and social networks, as well as shooting with the camera. In short, after taking your smartphone off the charger in the morning, you will have to return it there for the night.

The quality of network reception is flawless; during testing I never had to think about this parameter.

The call volume is with a small margin, the vibration alert is of average power. The speaker-microphone combination copes with its duties perfectly: neither we nor our interlocutors had any complaints about these elements.

Communication with the outside world

Nothing interesting. Everything works as it should.

3G can be on any of the SIM cards, but only on one. Switching is software.

Screen

Good screen. Not top class. But one of those that you don’t want to find fault with. Well, the contrast is “not flagship”, but this is a minor thing.

The only real annoyance is the very high minimum brightness. In pitch darkness, the screen will be too bright.

Battery

Battery capacity - 2500 mAh. For a second, it's almost like the Galaxy S6 edge. At the same time, the screen is slightly smaller in size and much lower resolution.

But the chipset is hot, alas. On all the devices on MTK6592 that I tested, the battery test results were so-so. ICE 2 is no exception. 126% of the conventional standard. Decent, but nothing more. For 95% of normal people, a smartphone will easily survive until the evening. Abnormal people are better off looking for something else.

Feed every night, there is no option.

Battery test results

Highscreen Ice 2 :: Review :: Camera

The 13-megapixel sensor of the main camera of the smartphone has the following key functions, which we could not keep silent about:

• BSI (Backside Illumination) technology provides high sensor sensitivity and low noise levels, which allows you to take high-quality photographs in low light conditions;
• SME-HDR (Spatially Multiplexed Exposure HDR) technology allows high-quality shooting of scenes with a wide contrast of lighting;
• Blue Glass technology makes it possible to take great pictures without color distortion, regardless of the position of the subject relative to the center of the picture.

In practice, the application differs somewhat from the standard one, but there are no problems with mastering it.

The set of options is higher than the basic one, and the quality of the images can be assessed by test frames. In our opinion, there are minor problems with the geometry of the image, but at the same time there is good focusing both at infinity and near objects. Shooting at twilight, if not ideal, is not bad, there is not much noise, and the flash correctly compensates for the lack of lighting.

Highscreen ICE 2 as a photo and video camera

The camera is sadly middle class.

10 more photos

A few more photos.

Video recording example

Front camera... No, just look at that face. Although it will do for video conversations, of course.

Highscreen ICE 2 as a toy

Not a bad option for gamers. With the exception of Most Wanted, all the toys behave decently. But, of course, in heavy toys the device gets hot and eats the battery on both cheeks.

Tested games