[ADV] CSL Switch Pluto Mi406 Review / Welcome

[ADV] CSL Switch Pluto Mi406 Review

3.06.2013

Just recently, CSL's launched 2 of their latest smartphone models in Malaysia, the Switch MARS Mi450 and Switch PLUTO Mi406. Both models runs on android and they both share some similarities to CSL previous phone models - Switch Mercury Mi501 and Switch Star Mi360, because both new phones have Dual SIM Dual Standby capability (I find this pretty useful :D)

My previous post mentioned about this : http://bit.ly/13B050k

Switch PLUTO Mi406

I was pretty lucky to be one of the few bloggers that was assigned to do this phone review, thank you CSL and Tammy for the opportunity! :-)

This is my first time reviewing a phone (in other words tech related stuff which i don't get very often lol), so i hope it's detailed enough >.< Gonna start with the hard wares on this phone :

Runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 1.2GHz Dual-Core processor.
Comes with 4GB flash memory (ROM) and 512MB RAM.
Dual Cameras (5MP primary camera and VGA video call camera)

I like most about the phone was the sleek matte casing the phone came with, it's easy to grip compared to the usual plastic shiny covers on most phones and the SIZE! Smart phones nowadays comes in all sorts of sizes and recent ones are merging tablets and phones together hence the hybrid size (which it's still too big to hold with one hand)

Switch Pluto Mi406's size is just right, fits into pockets perfectly and within grip limit and I can also type messages and answer phone calls with one hand :-D

Pluto Mi406 apparently seems to be the mini version of Mars Mi450 lol well, they are named after planets and sized accordingly as well (such a coincidence haha!)

Compared to my current new phone, I personally prefer bigger screens because my fingers are fat lol so bigger screens = bigger keypads =easy viewing / typing

Downside? Tad too big for my small hands and always end up nearly accidentally killing my phone D: scary~

If you were to purchase Pluto Mi406 unit , this is what you get in the box

Micro USB charger
2 screen protectors
Earphones
Extra casing
Manual (not in picture)

Dual sim function is always something I personally wished they had in every smart phone because It's pretty useful and most people have 2 numbers anyways lol. If you have a micro sim card, do not worry about it :-) This phone is still able to read it but make sure to adjust it properly.

P/S: took me quite alot of attempts to get the position of the micro sim card right lol

The extra white casing that was included in the package.

The camera quality was decent enough for a 5MP in my opinion, it comes with an autofocus camera that is able to record and support High Definition of 2592 x 1944 pixels and 30fps videos. If you are looking for a simple smart phone that takes decent photos I guess this phone will suit you, so don't expect super high defined pictures like the ones taken with a 8MP camera :-P

This picture was taken at sunrise from my balcony, phone camera on auto settings.

No edits or whatsoever just placing of watermark below :-)

The Screen viewing was abit to small for me, quality of the screen resolution is pretty clear. The keypad is easy to type even though it's small but it can be abit too sensitive at some point -_-ll

The only thing that disappointed me the most was the music player :-/ Keeps on cutting off halfway when it's running, there is some echo sounds and not really that loud through the earphones . Worst part is it made the phone restart :-/ I'm not sure whether it's my unit that has a glitch or not.

Bonus points for this phone's start up and offing timing :-D It's pretty fast loading! But the Off and On music can be tad annoying because it's waaaaay too loud >.< I tried putting at the lowest volume but it seems that start up tune volume is a set thing.

Apps available on Switch Pluto Mi406

Google Search
Facebook
G-talk
Android Market
YouTube
Google Maps
S-unno

When I made my first call from Pluto Mi406, the phone came out with options to complete the task, one of it was the normal phone app and the other was S-unno. S-unno is something new for me, first time coming across this app lol it's apparently a communication app made specially for smart phones and tablets that enable users to contact each other for free or at a lower cost compared to your usual mobile phone line plans and for Mi406, it's already automatically installed in the phone . That is pretty useful app and saves on phone bills too :-) But it only applies to S-unno to S-unno users.

More details on S-unno : http://www.s-unno.com/index.php

Verdict?

This phone is sufficient for people with simple needs :-) Reminded me pretty much of my old phone, Samsung Galaxy Wonder (W) but loads much faster even though they both have the same RAM capacity (512 MB) But Pluto Mi406 comes with a built in 4GB storage memory. Battery life is just slightly above average, lasts maximum one day (24hrs) for full usage and less than 2 days if you rarely use it. Priced reasonably, suits student budget if you were to ask me :-)

If given a chance, will I purchase this phone?

Yes and No from me lol, for a spare phone it's useful (especially during traveling when i need to use both my numbers in case one of them fails)

But for my daily usage? It would definitely hang(run out of memory) because I'm constantly doing my work using my phone since I'm out of the house most of the time and the battery life isn't sufficient enough for my hardcore usage lol.