The UMI S1 comes powered by quad core processor clocked at 1.2GHz and runs on the Android 4.2 OS with 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage. This handset is priced at Rs. 12,000.

BOX Pack
All of the UMI handsets come in a unique book style box packing. Inside the box there is the S1 handset, power adapter, data cable and a screen guard. There is no earphone included.

Design, Display and OS
The handset looks different. The Red and Black color combination gives an elegant look. The built quality is good, the handset feels tough and comfortable to hold. The display screen is 5 inches with 1280×720 pixel resolution and the touch is smooth.  The display however supports only 3 point multi touch. The UMI S1 runs on the Android 4.2 OS. This handset comes with Accelerometer, light and proximity sensors.

Memory and Storage
S1 handset comes with 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage. Of the 1GB RAM you get around 624MB free. And of the 8GB storage you get around 1GB for apps and 5.6 GB as phone storage. There is micro SD card slot, however you cannot move apps to external storage.

UMI S1 box pack

Performance and Benchmark
It houses the MT6589 MediaTek quad core chipset clocked at 1.2GHz coupled with PowerVR SGX 544 MP GPU.  I did not find any lags.

Benchmark scores

  • Quadrant Benchmark : 4061.
  • Anututu Benchmark : 13533.
  • Nenamark2 : 47.1fps.
  • Vellamo : HTML5 = 1475, Metal = 411.
  • Multi Touch : 3 point.

UMI S1 review

Camera and Entertainment
It is 12 MP camera but is mentioned as 8MP on the box pack. However it is just the size (8MP / 12MP) quality is the same.  The front camera is of 5MP resolution, on box its mentioned as 2MP. The camera still / video quality is good but in still mode the long shot focusing is not at good (Blurred). It does not focus distant objects properly; you can clearly see that in the sample images. Probably an issue with the review handset I got. You can play full HD videos in H/W and S/W mode using MX player.

UMI S1 12MP camera

Others
3G, Bluetooth, GPS and Wi-Fi worked without any issue. Sound is loud and clear.

Battery
The battery of 2000 mAh seems good enough to last for up to 24 hours with moderate usage.

UMI S1 review
The dual SIM handset is priced at Rs. 12,000 plus Rs. 500 as shipping charges. Nice handset for the price but already there are few brands like the Zen 701 HD, Celkon A119 that are priced around the same or a little cheaper.  The S1 is with 8GB ROM that is an advantage. Delivery and after sales as usual has not improved. The UMI X2 were delivered to few consumers. I do have a confirmation from some.  There are still customers waiting for the UMI X2, considering the current situation it will be better to avoid this handset for now and look for other options that are readily available.

Image Gallery

Sample Images

UMI S1 unboxing and review video

1080p video shot using the UMI S1 handset

By Rajeev Rana

Founder and Chief Editor - gogi.in