The Chinese smartphone maker Coolpad announced and launched their budget-friendly smartphone, the Coolpad Cool 3 Plus recently in June. Coolpad has been consistent before in terms of pushing out new devices in this segment but this time, they took some time to try and get back on track. How well did they do with this new Coolpad Cool 3 Plus device, find out in our review of the Coolpad Cool 3 Plus review below.
Coolpad Cool 3 Plus Review
Design & Build
The Coolpad Cool 3 Plus takes on the on-going design language of many devices out there now. With the waterdrop notch, the front is covered with the display mostly or so it looks, but the top and bottom chin do feel a bit downside. It comes with a polycarbonate back with a gradient finish which looks great but upon holding the device, the feel of plastic takes away the premium feel a bit.
The buttons feel a bit out of feeling, but when pressed, they give back a good amount of tactile feedback. On the back, the fingerprint sensor is also placed in the native location, where your finger usually finds itself when holding the device. On the bottom panel, we have the usual Micro-USB, speaker grill, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the microphone. Overall, for a device which costs just around 6k, I think the build quality justifies the pricing.
Coolpad Cool 3 Plus Review: Display
The Cool 3 Plus has a 5.7-inch HD+ IPS LCD display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. Mind that the display or the front glass does not come with any protection, so make sure to use the protective gear for the device. Although the display is not up to the mark in case of a mid-range segment, it is acceptable and par with the budget segment of devices. The brightness levels are good to be used outdoors but not under direct sunlight. With the bezels being not so thin, the display does stand out, thanks to the notch 19:9 display.
Performance and Software
Having used the recently launched budget range device like the Infinix Smart 3 Plus, the Cool 3 Plus does feel a bit behind in terms of performance. The Cool 3 Plus is powered by the MediaTek Helio A22 along with 2GB/3GB of RAM based on your choice. Having used the device for a good amount of time, I can say that it does struggle a bit in terms of multi-tasking. Switching between a couple of apps with only them opened works fluently but opening more apps bring up laggy behavior.
Coming to gaming, in case of PUBG Mobile or such games, the Cool 3 Plus lags a lot and struggles with frame rate even in the medium graphic settings. Playing less immense games like the Subway Surfers works fine if there are no other background apps running. Video streaming does feel great, thanks to the large 5.7-inch display but it could have been better.
In terms of software, Coolpad has its own custom CoolUI on top of the Android 9.0 with minimal bloatware and pre-installed apps. But the device has some ads and paid links which are a bit frustrating but apart from that, the UI is just fine. Surely, Coolpad should consider working on their software and pushing out regular updates.
Coolpad Cool 3 Plus Review: Cameras
The Cool 3 Plus has a 13MP primary single camera on the rear which takes great photos given the light conditions are good. With many modes in offer in the camera app such as the Beauty, Bokeh, Portrait, and many modes, the camera does the work just fine. Also, the AI mode will saturate and enhance the images taken and make them look better.
The photos taken came out with a good amount of details in good lighting conditions but failed in lowlight conditions which are kind of disappointing. Also, there is no HDR or night mode which will leave you stranded with noise in the images taken in dark. The bokeh mode or the portrait mode works in a not so satisfying manner; the edge detection is not up to the par. You can check out the camera samples below.
The 8MP selfie camera also does a similar job with good outputs when taken in good lighting conditions but leave us with much noise when taken in lowlight conditions.
Battery and Miscellaneous
The Coolpad Cool 3 Plus is powered by a 3000 mAh battery which can last you a day if used moderately. From our tests, the device did last throughout the day with multiple activities like browsing, social media, YouTube, and a little gaming. Although the battery capacity might seem less, the battery backup is really great on this device.
The audio output is loud but lacks in quality of bass and treble. The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor is fast but not as fast as what we see on the smartphones these days.
Verdict of the Coolpad Cool 3 Plus Review
The Coolpad Cool 3 Plus is like another try for Coolpad in this segment but for the price, the device does offer a good value. Still, considering other devices in the price segment, the Cool 3 Plus still lacks some of the crucial features. If you are looking to buy a smartphone for around Rs.6000, the Cool 3 Plus can be considered along with other devices. All in all, it is your preferences which will narrow the list down to a single device.
The Good:
- Huge 5.7-inch display
- 3000 mAh long-lasting battery
- Good selfie camera
The Bad:
- CoolUI is not user-friendly
- Camera struggle in lowlight
- Performance not up to par
