[Device Reviews and Information] Alberto96:
Review (part 1)

Introduction

This is the AGM A8.

Hardware

Being the first AGM smartphone i review, i don't have any past experience i can use to compare the device. This is powered by a Snapdragon 410 (a bit outdated) with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of ROM. Also, the back camera is a Sony IMX214 13MP, while the front camera is a pretty standard 2MP from Hynix. Both Cameras work surprisingly well though.

Unboxing

Packaging comes with basic accessories: 1x Micro-USB Cable, 1x 5V/1A USB Charger (really cheap), 1x Mini Screw Removal Tool, 1x Quick Start Guide, and the Smartphone (of course). A plastic screen protector is pre-applied.

Being an IP68 Rugged Device, this isn't a device made to be compact and ergonomic. It is 15.9x8.27x1.55cm, with large bezels, and weights 249g.

Sincerely i love the design, the rubberized surface together with the squared angles make a combo for a clean looking rugged device. There is some glue noticeable on the sides though, this is the only negative part i have noticed about build quality.

On the front side there is a Standard Flat Display and the upper front side of the device features a Front-Facing Camera, an Earpiece, and the Sensors hole that includes Light, Proximity Sensors. No Notification LED is here.

On the lower front side there is the Touch-Keys zone, with Recents, Home and Back Buttons. Luckily, they are backlit. Also, near the AGM logo, there is the main microphone.

On the back side there is the removable back cover, with two screws holding it in place.

The upper rear side of the device features the Camera Sensor supported by a Single-LED Flashlight, together with the second microphone. Another negative part is the back camera silver frame, it is too easy to scratch. (noticeable in the photo)

On the lower rear side there is the speaker hole and a protruding part that is probably used to keep some space between the speaker and a possible flat surface. I may be wrong though, and if i am, let me know.

Device

Screen

Screen Quality is decent, with excellent color reproduction but a bit low brightness considering that this is a device made to be used in extreme conditions.

The Light Sensor supports almost-smooth light changes, with a proper auto-brightness management. This is its maximum brightness. As already said, it should have been higher.

Viewing Angles matches IPS screen capabilities, with no major issues.

Camera

Thankfully the old IMX214 Sony Sensor is still better than most OmniVision ones with the same resolution, meaning that, especially on Qualcomm Platforms, the quality is great. Impressive considering that Mediatek devices with the same sensor do not manage to get the same quality.

"HDR off" on the left and "HDR on" on the right. The difference is definitely noticeable.

Macros look great too, meaning that the auto-focus management has been properly programmed.

Even though there is only a Single-LED for the Flashlight, it is enough to provide a plenty amount of light to the shot.

As regards Video Recording, 1080p videos look as great as photos, with stable framerate.

The Front Camera seems to be a Wide-Angle variant, enough for occasional selfies or video-chat. Don't forget that is just 2MP, so do not expect superb quality.

Audio

As expected, the Speaker Quality has been impacted by the waterproof filter, reducing its loudness and clarity, but a nice amount of low frequencies is here.

The same for both Microphone and Earpiece, but the quality is still good enough for any type of usage. Luckily there is a second microphone on the back that helps to improve the overall clarity.

GPS

I don't have any word to describe the GPS Quality, it is just amazing.

Indoors on the left, outdoors on the right.

Telephony, Mobile Network & WiFi

Signal Reception is accurate, with better than average 4G speed. Remember that i test the 4G connection in the same position i test all other devices so this can be a good reference point to make comparisions.

WiFi 5GHz isn't supported here. With my 2.4GHz network, i was able to reach almost 36mbps, connected at 65mbps, not the best, neither the worst.

Battery Life

As always, i have measured the real battery capacity using my USB Tester, and it seems that the real battery capacity is slightly lower compared to the declared value (declared 4050mAh, real ~3850mAh).

Unfortunately i wasn't able to test the battery life using PCMark, so i can only provide you some battery stats. More than 22 hours of screen-on time with minimum brightness and WiFi on is outstanding.

As regards battery charging times, the 5V/1A charger isn't great at all to charge this device, and this is limited via software so expect more than 3 hours to charge the device completely.

Software

AGM choose to use an completely clean Android 7.0 Nougat release for this device, there is only an AGM third-party app, everything else is just like AOSP. (or Nexus-like if you prefer). But, they forgot to update Android Security Patches, somehow dated to August 2016.

There isn't any feature to calibrate the screen or to get screen-off gestures. Luckily, a magnetometer/compass is here.

This is a Malware-Bytes Scan, no malwares detected.

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