Mar 21

NUU Mobile N5L Google Mobile Services Certified
NUU Mobile N5L Google Mobile Services Certified

Phablet sized Android smartphones for less than $200 is what NUU Mobile is great at producing. Enter their N5L smartphone with 4G LTE dual SIM, micro SD slot, 3000 mAh removable battery and international roaming capabilities.

Overview


NUU Mobile N5L Android Smartphone Unboxing

Traveling anywhere outside of the US can be tough with a locked smartphone and most carrier’s roaming data rates are prohibitively expensive. NUU Mobile’s N5L Android 4G LTE ready dual SIM phone reaches to max the connection speed in any country you are in. Pop your home country SIM in and enjoy speedy 4G LTE data from nearly any GSM provider. It comes unlocked at an excellent value at $149.99. Find a local SIM and install it in its second slot. Easily switch between the two via an Android app to avoid high roaming charges.

Disclosure: I received the N5L smartphone at no cost for review from NUU Mobile. I was not compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. All photos are courtesy of NUU Mobile.

NUU Mobile N5L Smartphone
NUU Mobile N5L Smartphone

Unlocked phones from NUU Mobile for the midrange Android market are giving companies like Lenovo a run for their money. NUU Mobile’s approach to the Dual SIM smartphone market is smart. The form factor of the N5L is similar to other 5.5” smartphones but at a much better value proposition.

NUU Mobile N5L Phablet Screen
NUU Mobile N5L Phablet Screen For Movies

Screen brightness seems better than most other midrange smartphones I have reviewed. It adjusts backlight performance based on ambient light. I enjoyed streaming movies, which loaded quickly over its 4G LTE, 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi connections on the N5L.

Lollipop 5.1 is preinstalled and all features worked well with its MediaTek 1.0GHz quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM and 8GB of ROM storage. A NUU Mobile Android firmware update app is integrated into the settings to help notify users of when new software becomes available. NUU Mobile promises future Android firmware updates.

NUU Mobile N5L Air Gestures
NUU Mobile N5L Air Gestures

SmartWake Technology helps users with locked screens to wake their phone into the home area or specific apps like the Chrome browser. Draw an ‘e’ on the locked screen and it will launch the Chrome web browser.

NUU Mobile N5L Camera Back
NUU Mobile N5L Back Camera

Taking photos with the included 8MP rear camera worked ok. I could see only the slightest lag between focus and snapping of photos, probably due to the slightly underpowered MediaTek 1.0 GHz quad-core CPU. I liked that the N5L knew when a subject used the peace sign. The integrated camera software started a countdown sequence. Its rear-facing camera has a BSI sensor that worked great for burst and live photo modes. It comes with a 2MP front facing camera, which is better than what most budget phones include, but should be higher.

Testing its dual SIM card functionality was easy. The settings for each SIM are pre-programmed for multiple US carriers. Carrier APNs can be entered manually when using a SIM from outside of the US. There are screen icons showing connection and signal strength for each SIM. The N5L only offers 8GB of ROM so inserting a micro SD card next to the unlocked SIMs is a great idea to capture videos and thousands of photos.

Calls were clear in multiple test environments, however carriers are mostly responsible for that. Your experience with call clarity will depend on the signal strength available. The NUU Mobile N5L takes the 4G LTE experience even further when on the T-Mobile network with access to its band 12. Band 12 is from the magenta network, which expands its reach into wide rural areas, tight urban living spaces and still provides fast service.

NUU Mobile N5L With 3000 mAh Battery
NUU Mobile N5L With Big 3000 mAh Battery

A maximum 4G LTE cellular connection speed of 150Mbps, the relatively low 267 pixels-per-inch 1280 X 720 HD resolution screen, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of ROM, 3000 mAh battery, 2.4GHz and 5GHz WiFi shows where build resources were optimized. However, at $149.99 this midrange Android smartphone provides a bright screen and the value for what you do get in this 5.5” 4G LTE Android smartphone is beyond what I expected.

Final Thoughts

At the price of $149.99 on Amazon, the NUU Mobile N5L is a smart purchase for someone who needs dual SIM card slots, a micro SD slot and 4G LTE. Two SIM card slots helps to take the second phone out of your pocket and still keep work and personal separate. Going international with this should help to limit the use of expensive data while roaming.

Included in the package is a USB wall charger, a Micro USB cable, a wired headset, a quick start guide and an impressively large removable 3000 mAh battery. The screen is bright and the photos it takes are nice enough for Instagram uploads. If the pixels per inch were slightly more and if the screen had more resolution, it would have been rated higher. NUU Mobile needed to save money somewhere and that probably why they included only 8GB of ROM space.

Rating: 4/5

Pros:

  • 5.5” HD Screen
  • Dual Micro SIM Slots
  • Removable 3,000 mAh Battery
  • micro SD Expansion Slot Up To 32GB
  • Unlocked For Any GSM Carrier
  • 8MP Camera With Low Light Sensor

Cons:

  • Low screen resolution
  • 8GB ROM
  • No Wireless Charging
  • No NFC for Contactless Payments

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