Vodafone Smart Speed 6 Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Design4. Display5. Software6. Performance7. Camera8. Battery9. Closing Thoughts10. View All Pages

While I was initially surprised to hear of a new Vodafone ‘Smart' device, the Smart Speed 6 certainly has its own place within the product family.

The Speed 6 is essentially a smaller version of the Prime 6, with a simple and ‘no-frills' approach to its design. Some may call this boring and a weakness, but to my mind Vodafone have clearly focused on other areas – such as processing power. Because of this, the design of the Speed 6 is certainly simple, but it is also functional – and at £50 we need to set realistic parameters.

The same can be said of the Speed 6's display. It has a relatively low, 480×854 resolution across 4.5-inches. Brightness is not remarkable but it is just about usable outdoors, which is all we can really ask. The display is serviceable, and for the target audience it will be perfectly acceptable.

Like previous ‘Smart' devices, the Speed 6 runs stock Lollipop 5.1. This is exactly what we have come to expect from Vodafone, and it should hopefully mean Android Marshmallow can be pushed to existing customers soon.

The main issue with the OS, though, is bloatware. There is only 3.2GB usable storage space, and there are some completely pointless apps using up some of that valuable space. Until Vodafone can release a phone bloatware-free, I will continue to criticise this negative aspect of their devices.

However, the main strength of the Speed 6 is its relative processing prowess. Vodafone have correctly identified that budget phone users prioritise performance over all else, and so have included the MediaTek MT6735M CPU. It is a solid CPU, and I found it is even faster the Snapdragon 410 in the Smart Prime 6 (in Geekbench 3, at least.)

Battery life is another success, and I would be surprised if you could not manage 2 days on a single charge. The power efficiency exhibited when the phone is on standby is particularly impressive.

It is also good to see an improved camera included with the Speed 6. It has a 5MP sensor, but still lacks touch-to-focus functionality, meaning it is somewhat of a lottery to get a good, sharp image. Still, the camera is not a priority for the Speed 6 so it is hard to complain for the price.

On the whole, then, the Speed 6 is a good addition to the ‘Smart' family. It boasts good performance, solid battery life and a very affordable price tag. For £50, you cannot go wrong.

You can buy the Smart Speed 6 directly from Vodafone for £50, here.

Pros

• Good performance.
• Excellent battery life.
• Improved 5MP camera.
• Very affordable.

Cons

• Screen brightness is lacking.
• Design lacks a wow factor.
• No touch-to-focus camera functionality.

KitGuru says: If you are looking to buy a smartphone at or around £50, look no further than the Speed 6. If you can stretch to the £80 Prime 6, however, you are rewarded with a sharper display and a much better camera.

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