Wiko Highway Signs – Hardware Review
It has been a while since we’ve had the opportunity to review the Wiko Highway. Although the device was great, the developers still wanted to improve the quality and they made a newer version: the Wiko Highway Signs. It has to be said, the quality is great for the price.
Design
There are a few differences with the Wiko Highway. First of all, the phone is a bit smaller (4,7” instead of 5”) and the outer design of the phone is a tad different as well. It felt as if the Highway needed to be in an extra cover, because the backside felt like there was missing something. They’ve solved this problem with the Highway Signs and the luscious colours are really eye-catching. It seems like they want to get rid of the normal black colour, although they still have a greyish cover. Design-wise the phone has a glossy backside which is stained quite easily but it is cleaned in a jiffy.
The buttons are still on the same spot, which isn’t a bad thing. They’re really placed conveniently, although the camera is a bit close to the side, making it easier to blur your photos with your finger.
Comfort
Phones these days seem to get bigger and bigger which means it is harder to reach every corner of your screen when holding your cell phone in one hand. That is why it is a great feature that the Wiko Highway Signs is smaller than its predecessor, making it more pleasant in your hand.
It has to be said though, the buttons are sticking out a bit more, making it a lot easier to (un)lock. The volume button has merged into one instead of two, which makes it a bit easier to blindly recognise which is the power button and which is the volume button. The controls below the screen are not that sensitive and you really need to press on the icon before it will really work.
Putting in a SIM-card is tricky and you will need a bit of practice before you get it right.
The Highway Signs is a bit lighter than the previous phone, although this isn’t a real issue to begin with. (It’s actually quite convenient.)
Specs
- 4.7 inch HD screen
- Octa core 1.4 GHz
- 8 GB ROM
- 1 GB RAM
- 8 MP back camera
- 5 MP front camera
- Dual SIM
- One SIM and Micro SD card (max 32 GB)
Overview
The graphical quality is a tad worse than the first Highway model, although you won’t notice any particular differences. Playing videos or other media-related actions are a real pleasure for the eye. The colours are really magnificent and above all, your screen is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 2.
Although not every app will support or need an octa core, it still is great to have. Sweeping through you menus goes so surprisingly fast. Starting up games and playing heavy games is no trouble at all, although the phone starts to heat up around the camera and the heat spreads until you can feel a bit of warmth everywhere. This even occurs at smaller games but will disappear when you’re playing.
There is only 8 GB ROM so in comparison with the Highway, you lose a bit of memory. The good part is that Wiko heard our pleas and changed the Dual SIM module a bit. You have got the option to insert a Micro SD card to increase your capacity if necessary. The only way to really transfer files is by USB or Bluetooth.
The Wiko Highway Signs has some minor downsides as well. Next to the HD instead of Full HD, the phone only offers a 8 MP back camera, while the Highway had a 16 MP camera. The same applies for the front camera, comparing a 5MP with an 8MP. For the selfiefans, photo- and videolovers, this will be a small downer. Although the quality remains ok, you will see a bit of difference when comparing the same picture on the Highway and Highway Signs.
Battery-wise, this phone is great. Although you only have a 2000 mAh battery, the battery life is significantly better than the Highway. The reason for this is because the processor takes less energy, thus giving you longer life battery (even when playing games).
Conclusion
As a successor of the great Highway, the Highway Signs is certainly worthy enough. There are some improvements and some downgrades. If you want to use the phone for making loads of movies or photos in combination with the other functionalities, it might not be sufficient for you. It has to be said though, you will get a lot for the price.
Wiko Highway Signs - Hardware Review,
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