[Device Reviews and Information] trueno92:
Just to confirm, I have never had this issue.

The only problem I have ever had was with the Gallery FC, but it was because there were no images taken with the camera yet.

My wifi has never dropped or had any issue losing its connection to any network, and thats with bt on all the time as well, and also again off all the time. I noticed the connectivity of the unit to be very stable.

I would think the lag of the notification bar could be a touch problem, but to make sure, try to remove the screen protector, as I have taken mine off but also have not experienced any issues.

My review of the unit:

would like to hear your feedback if you agree or disagree with any of my opinions shared in my review!!

I have had the worst WORST case of strep throat Ever, but here is my TEXT review...

again, if YOU MUST NEED LTE, this handset is not for you.. in the GTA/North and downtown I have never felt 3g was too slow ever, and I never turned on LTE on my iPhone5 cuz, well I wanted it to last all day, but anyway, this is my first stab at Android on a phone as a daily driver..

THL 5000 Review.

I have a few Android powered devices. A 2012 Nexus 7, a Galaxy Tab 3, and a fully operational HP Touchpad on Ice Cream Sandwich. For a phone, however, I have been using an iPhone of some iteration since 2009. I never found Android to be a stable, consistent and responsive platform to be used daily, as a phone.

My iPhone5 changed that when it failed due to repeated charging (due to an utterly pathetic battery), and damaged the system board (u2 ic failure, most likely).

Looking for an alternative, but never being one to care for the OMG YOU have that most fastest phone!!?!? in the last 3 years, I can say that there is no perfect phone. Some are thinner, faster, more responsive, larger screen etc, but recognizing these trade-offs, I picked up the THL 5000 from first-tier vendor: IMAGING DRAGON, on Ali Express.

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1197502

NOTE: I chose IMAGING DRAGON due to their fast processing time, excellent English communication and prompt response to all my email concerns. By the time other vendors would be processing the order (7-10 days), I already had my phone, in my hand and it was professionally packaged, all items as described, in NEW condition, no stuck/dead pixels! I know my next handset will be from them if I get bored of the THL 5000.

I have been called a power-user… I did a lot of photo and video editing/authoring on the iPhone and the battery never satisfied me. My daily routine would consist of having WAZE GPS running while STREAMING podcasts on my commute to work and have it paired to my car via Bluetooth. As a comparison, my iPhone would be at 84% when I got to work. The same apps on a Samsung S3 on kitkat was at 47%. The THL 5000 is at a whopping 93% using the same apps and same run time!

Screen

5 inch

441 PPI

Screen Resolution	1,920 x 1,080 pixels

Display Technology	FHD

Ambient Light Sensor

Multi Touch

Proximity Sensor

The THL has a vibrant 1920x1088 441dpi IPS screen. It looks great at every angle and its resolution bests retina resolution displays from iPhone. I have never had a problem with any lines or stuck pixels! no yellow banding etc. Its a great display and I don’t see any ghosting or weird artifacts etc.

The Camera

f1.8 Exmor RS Sony IMX135 13mp 5-element lens assy

A Sony sourced IMX135 imaging sensor provides excellent image capturing and video. It does 1080p video capture and in varying light conditions has good sensitivity. I impulsively set all the settings in the camera as the iPhone doesn’t have any settings but after extensive testing, I found that the night-mode works well for low-light conditions and automode for everything else. The Camera application is decent and has quite a few options but again, they mainly don’t need to be adjusted much as the hardware works it out for you.

I have some picture samples but they seem to have been compressed a bit once sent/hosted.

The front camera deserves mention as it is one of the first phone cameras that has recognized the whole ‘selfie’ is now a ‘thing’, and brings an 88-degree wide-angle lens. This is awesome and I bet this is going to be on every phone going forward. Pics with a significant other can now also capture the background and no longer do you need to stretch your arm to squeeze the other face in the shot. There isn’t any odd distortions and facial features aren’t out of proportion. Both cameras work great and are worth the price-alone just to be a memory-capturing companion.

Build Quality

Phone Depth 8.9 mm

Weight 146 grams

Dimensions	144.2 mm x 70.4 mm x 8.9 mm

The handset is on-par with the latest flagship handsets that have a removable backplate. The finish on the back is quite resistant to finger prints as it has a textured finish thats really makes the shiny smooth backing of the Galaxy s3/s4 seem dated. There are no odd creaks or squeaking from squeezing the phone or removing the backplate. The screen is incredibly smooth and is claimed to be made from the 3rd version of twice-tempered Gorilla Glass from Corning. It feels upscale with a black-chrome band around the perimeter of boarder adding to a classy exterior. Seeing as the design is just a triangle with rounded corners, I can see THL is trying to make the best out of an otherwise very familiar design that the Android mobile-device market has seen re-hashed all around.

Battery

Anaode Lithium Polymer

5000mAh. Thats 1300mAh shy of my HP touchpad and 1000mAh more than my 7” Galaxy Tab 3. The battery is no joke on this thing but I don’t use my phone heavy enough to crush it in the 16 hrs that I am awake/day. I use high-draw applications like the camera, some video watching and the podcast streaming/GPS/Bluetooth killer combo, I think I could get up to 2 days use from this. The Camera and gallery do use quite a bit of battery as does powering the screen. Standby if you are doing web and occasional message/web browsing, could probably see a full 3 days without an issue. I do turn off the handset for 5 hours at night while charging. Screenshots are attached but I think the real energy hog is the camera, screen and gps... similar to all android devices.. and possibly the octa-core chipset when all 8 cores are running full-tilt.

Processor

MT6592, 2.0ghz, 2gig RAM

The octacore chipset does show some lag but its seldom and when it does its only noticeable because the handset is just so responsive everywhere else. I have quite enjoyed using it daily for web-browsing and various apps and mainly because of the speed of the MT6592 Octa-core chipset. Its smooth and fast and I have had no complaints. I guess its 8 cores do get a bit thirsty because its clocked at its upper limit being 2.0ghz, but the CPU governor does try to keep things in control and only ramps up when needed. It has to get its power from somewhere and the battery, albeit huge, is just like strapping on a bigger fuel tank to an engine with more cylinders. Its fast and I haven’t had any FC for apps due to heat or other bugs.

Connectivity

Wifi connects quickly and has considerable range. I have never had any problems with signal drops and get the same range as my iPhone5 and more range than my Galaxy S3 or Nexus 7. Speed is very fast.

Same can be said for GPS and bluetooth connections and even simultaneous connections don’t do any weird things like what I have heard from other Chinese handsets. (dropped connections, GPS takes long to lock-on target etc)

Compass is accurate.

Networks

3G (HSDPA/CDMA)

Edge/2G (GSM/GPRS)

CDMA Networks

850 MHz

2100 MHz

GSM Networks

850 MHz

900 MHz

1800 MHz

1900 MHz

Handset speaker is decently loud and the quality is good. Earpiece is also decent, but not as full bodied sounding as the iPhone.

Android Extras

KitKat 4.4.2

The camera app mentioned is full featured, having various scene modes, exposure and zoom settings. The app also allows for pretty extensive editing of the picture after its shot, which is pretty good as far as android camera apps go. The LG G2 had the same sensor but a completely over-simplified app that made it difficult to capture pictures in anything else but ideal light. The THL 5000 doens’t have this problem!

Smart Gestures

Drawing or tapping the screen can unlock or start different apps. Its an OK gimmick, but I can see it being useful as the swipe-up to unlock can be handy or drawing ‘c’ to launch the camera, in saving a second or two.

OK GOOGLE is also enabled full time and can be initiated anytime the handset is unlocked.

Both of these features are on all the time and probably contribute to significant battery use, but I predict 3% over 8hrs of standby when the phone is just idle.

OTG is a nice-to-have that could come in handy for copying stuff to/from a memory stick, or simply connecting a mouse for… well I am not sure why I would do this but I guess I could use my monster 5000mah battery to charge my wife’s iPhone in a pinch…

Extras in the Box

PICTURE TAKEN WITH GALAXY S3

Imaging Dragon included some cool extras such as the OTG adapter/keychain thing as well as a flip-case and a nicer silicone case. First, the silicone case is top-shelf. Its not some Dollar-store, I got 3 for $1 type of case. It has a crystal clear for the front half that boarders the frame of the phone and the rear half of the same silicone is frosted. It allows the black-chrome bezel to be seen through its crystal clear protective boarder. Its also not made of that crap silicone that attracts pocket-lint like a magnet. Its smart looking and perfect fitting and really works with the phone for days you may not want to go out naked! I have not ever had an iPhone case that had worked so well WITH the phone.

Now, the flip-case uses a substitute backing cover and I guess would be nice if I carried my phone in a purse…

16gig Micro SD is genuine Sandisk and thats nice to know as its not some off-brand that could damage the phone or lose your data or cause problems down the road.

Overall

The THL 5000 is a good phone to move to if 4g data is not your main concern. Rogers in Toronto is pretty fast as 3g and coverage is better as well. I think the iPhone days are numbered and Android handsets are going to feel this Chinese wave of phones now with OnePlus One and Xiaomi. These new handsets are like the Korean flip-phones of the early pre-iPhone era - smart, well-executed and well packaged hardware that is capable and powerful enough to be no longer a lesser product but a competitive adversary for the bigger players in the market. Its going to hit like a ping-pong powerhouse from China, fast, quick and you won’t even know its coming until its already passed you - with not much of a warning-shot at all.