Introduction and features
Update: Wileyfox has announced a series of new phones to sit alongside the Storm and the Swift. The Wileyfox Spark is the newest phone in the series but be sure to read the TechRadar review before you buy one. It may be cheaper, but it's certainly not better.
With the introduction of 2K screens on the likes of the LG G4 and the Samsung Galaxy S6, along with 64-bit processors in the iPhone 5S, flagship smartphone performance and specs have begun to plateau.
The upward trend of progress has begun to slow, especially as software becomes less demanding on hardware, and this development has had a marked effect on the budget end of the market.
If it's the case that the 'trickle-down' effect means new flagship features take at least two years to find their way down to the lower end of the market, then right now the budget market is experiencing the excitement of the flagship market circa 2013, at least to a degree.
Larger batteries, bigger screens and jumps in resolution are coming with almost every passing month, and at ever-lower prices. And of these new, exciting handsets, the Wileyfox Storm is a special example.
British phone maker Wileyfox has only recently arrived on the scene, but – presumably taking the plunge before a feared deluge of cheap Chinese devices begins to hit western markets – the company is already making waves by offering well-specced devices at respectable prices.
The Storm is the more powerful of the two devices currently offered by Wileyfox, the bigger brother to the well-received Swift. Priced at £199, it's a bit more expensive than the Swift, which is going for around £129, but with that jump in price comes a more than commensurate increase in power and performance.
However, with a glut of devices currently available at a similar price point and offering similar or better specifications – and nearly all with trusted brand names behind them – can the Wileyfox Storm make a mark?
Design
Typically, design is the feature most readily jettisoned by phone manufacturers in an attempt to keep prices down. Around the £200 price point however, some small concessions to taste can be expected, and the Storm delivers in this regard.
The first thing I noticed when picking up the device was how solid it felt. With no give or flex in any aspect of its construction, despite being a phablet, the Storm feels worth every penny. At 155g it isn't heavy, and yet has a pleasing heft.
On the top of the device is the 3.5mm headphone jack. The left side of the Storm houses the microSD/microSIM slot. As well as being able to take cards up to 128GB, the microSD card tray can also be used to house an extra microSIM card, giving the Storm dual-SIM capability.
On the bottom of the device is the micro USB port for charging and data transfer. The right side of the Storm is home to two clicky, but rather thin and weedy buttons – the volume rocker, and the power button just below.
Each side of the device is encased in a matte plastic that feels grippy in the hand. This feel is continued on the back, which is comprised of a material not dissimilar to that found on the back of the OnePlus One and 2, with WileyFox even going so far as to call the colour 'Sandstone Black'.
The overall effect is that the handset feels comfortable, durable and, yes, premium in the hand.
Towards the bottom on the rear of the phone is a minimalist Wileyfox logo, along with the speaker grille, with a subtle fox branding towards the centre of the device.
At the top are the 20MP rear-facing camera and dual-LED flash, wrapped in a black gloss plastic with a bronze trim.
Above the 5.5-inch 1080p screen are a call speaker, the 8MP selfie snapper and a single front-facing flash. As a whole, the Wileyfox Storm feels very well put together, almost more so than rivals such as the Vodafone Smart Ultra Six and the Moto X Play.
For a device priced at only £199, so far so good. Wileyfox has done a stellar job of carving out a unique look for its range.
Display
When you pick up the Wileyfox Storm the size of the display is immediately noticeable. Unlike some flagships, such as the LG G4, that wear their phablet trappings lightly, the Storm is unashamedly large.
Putting the screen front and centre encourages certain expectations, and again the Storm delivers. The Full HD screen has a pixel density of around 400ppi, easily exceeding Retina territory. Reading, watching films and playing games are all a pleasure on such a large, detailed panel.
Although it doesn't quite reach the heights of the brilliant 2K AMOLED display on the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, it certainly matches the likes of the iPhone 6 Plus and 6S Plus for quality.
The exceptional colour accuracy of the display plays a big part here. Typically, especially when chasing higher resolutions, sacrifices are often made in order to keep costs down. In particular, LCD panels can suffer from poor calibration, often exhibiting an odd blue cast. The Storm suffers from no such problem.
Indeed, thanks to the customisation power of Cyanogen OS it's possible to tweak the colour calibration of the device to your personal tastes, or even try out 'adaptive' colour presets – although this latter option isn't exactly recommended, as it has a tendency to make whites either bright orange or blue depending on the time of day.
Being an IPS panel, the screen on the Wileyfox Storm also has excellent viewing angles, with no drop off in either brightness or saturation when watching content at extreme orientations.
The Storm can also become nice and bright when in less than ideal viewing conditions, although the inbuilt auto-brightness control can be a little timid when altering settings for different situations.
All in all the display on the Wileyfox Storm is exceptional – and not just for the price but in general, matching the quality of devices more than double the price.
At this point, the only improvement that could feasibly be made would be to go AMOLED, which would mean a significant increase in price – although the likes of the OnePlus X have already gone in this direction.
OS and interface
The Wileyfox Storm, like the Swift, runs Cyanogen OS. This began as an open-source mod for Android several years ago, helping to breath new life into old devices, and with an emphasis on user control.
And as Google has begun to exert more and more control over Android, this focus on giving the end user as many options as possible has seen Cyanogen expand from a back-room project into a venture-capital-funded OS in its own right.
That isn't to say that things are changed much, however. Based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, Cyanogen OS looks and feels much like a stock version of the world's most popular mobile OS, and the home screen interface looks much as you'd expect it to.
Everything changes once you reach the Settings menu, however. Take the 'Display & lights' section for example, where in addition to the usual settings such as brightness, a whole host of far more granular controls can be found.
This applies to almost every option available to the user, and for power users who really love to fine-tune their smartphone experience it's an attractive feature.
For the average user, however, things aren't quite so rosy. Invariably, in providing so many options, a degree of confusion can result for users who are less 'advanced'.
Within five minutes of letting my partner loose in the settings menu the screen had been set to an orange cast, the notification LED was somewhat psychedelic, and a whole host of software buttons had been added.
Although this situation will not reflect reality for many users, the options available in Cyanogen can be a little overwhelming, even if they are welcome.
Security
One of the key features of Cyanogen OS, built right into the Wileyfox Storm, is an enhanced level of security. In becoming a widely available, open-source operating system, Android has been subject to a higher level of interest from criminals and hackers the world over than, say, Windows Phone.
Add in several high-profile scares, such as the Heartbleed bug, along with StageFright, and many users are understandably cautious – witness the plethora of anti-virus apps on offer in the Google Play store.
This isn't to say that every user will be subject to a malicious software attack; but the fact remains that, if you're using Android the chances are slightly higher than they would be otherwise.
As such, privacy and security are placed front and centre in the WileyFox Storm, with two apps in particular being utilised to provide extra power to the end user to protect their data.
The first, developed in partnership with popular call-filtering app Truecaller, is inbuilt voice-call protection. Built into the native dialler app, this function works to screen calls before they're answered, using the Truecaller database to help determine their origins.
For those who regularly receive calls to check on their PPI situation, this will be a godsend.
The second feature is Privacy Guard, found in the Settings menu and turned off by default. This enables the user to take granular control of app permissions to the next level, enabling access to information to be toggled on and off.
Moreover, selecting the Advanced option enables you to see detailed reports of what information has been accessed by different apps, at what times, broken down into Personal, Media, Bootup and Device. Using this I found that Google Play Services read my SMS messages 337 times over the course of a week, as did Facebook.
Again, while this level of control can be a little overwhelming, the ethos of placing power back in the hands of the end user is rather nice, and in practice I found these features to be quite useful, even if the latter resulted in more than a little paranoia (I have a lot to hide).
Launcher
As I hinted at earlier in this review, Cyanogen mod presents something of a mixed bag with regards to the user interface, in turns being both pleasantly simple and dauntingly complex.
The Trebuchet launcher is key to the whole experience. It's preloaded, and is the first thing you'll see when loading up the phone for the first time. As mentioned, it's quite close to the whole stock Android experience.
In all, Trebuchet is a competent, unassuming and quick launcher, sensibly laid out and easy to understand. Although it doesn't have any interesting bells and whistles such as those found on the Google Now Launcher, it is nonetheless a pleasure to use.
And, this being Android, changing the user experience is as simple as installing a new launcher from the Play Store.
On the home page, apps are organised much as they are on almost any other Android home screen, with a permanent search up top, and a number of Google services bundled into a folder on the left.
Swiping to the left does nothing, and swiping right brings up more installed apps. Moving into the app drawer brings a nice touch – an alphabetical list of all installed apps, which you can move through quickly or slowly. As a regular Windows Phone user, I appreciated this touch.
Swiping down from the top of the screen, as you'd expect, enables quick access to frequently used settings – mobile internet, Wi-Fi, GPS and so on. A nice touch is the ability to double-tap to sleep, accomplished by double-tapping the status bar, which makes turning off the screen while it's on a desk just a tad easier.
And, being Android, swapping the user experience is as simple as installing a new app from the Play Store.
For the user looking to go a little further in their customisation, there is also the Theme Store, which enables you to change everything from app icons to wallpapers with a single click. Hundreds of options are available here, both free and paid-for.
Performance, essentials and battery
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 615, along with a healthy 3GB of RAM, keeps the WileyFox Storm chugging through daily tasks with aplomb.
Whether it was swiping through the home screens, using the internet, watching a movie, or playing a graphically intensive game, I found there was little that the Storm couldn't handle.
These results are backed up by the Geekbench 3 scores. Although the Snapdragon 615 sits firmly in the middle of Qualcomm's chip lineup for 2015, and is being replaced with the 617, it's nonetheless a very capable performer.
With a single-core performance of 655, and a multi-core score of 2613, the device sits comfortably close to the Samsung Galaxy S4 for the former, and the Nexus 5 for the latter.
To achieve performance that, two years ago, was at flagship level is quite something, and for most users the power ought to be sufficient, give or take a little lag and a few dropped frames here and there.
3GB of RAM also proved to be more than sufficient for the needs of the device and ought to keep power-hounds happy, with the WileyFox Storm being able to juggle many apps simultaneously, if not quite as many as the beastly Asus ZenFone 2.
Music and video
With 32GB of built-in storage, and the option to add to this via microSD card, music lovers have plenty of space to play with on the Wileyfox Storm. And generally, the listening experience is rather nice.
As is the trend on many Android devices the Storm lacks a dedicated music app, with users having to either download a dedicated app for local playback from the Google Play Store, or use Google Play Music.
The latter option isn't particularly welcome, as while Google will happily let you play songs I found paid options being pushed at me with annoying regularity, something that hindered the overall experience a little.
On the plus side the WileyFox Storm does have a couple of impressive features for music lovers, one of which is the speaker setup.
Although the Storm can't hope to match the clarity of the HTC One M9, or the sheer volume of the Nexus 6, I found nonetheless that it could fill a room with warm tones rather nicely. Notably it didn't sound too tinny, even when really pumping out music to the best of its ability.
The second feature I enjoyed was the built-in equaliser. Tying into the wider theme of granular control, you can choose from various presets or simply adjust the sliders to taste.
Particularly when switching from bass-heavy tunes to, say, folk music, I found that it made a world of difference, especially when paired with a decent set of earphones.
As with music there's no dedicated video player on the WileyFox Storm, which is disappointing given the potential of the screen for media consumption.
Play Movies – another gateway to paid content – is the sole video player available upon installation, necessitating the installation of the likes of VLC Player for those wanting to watch their media on the go.
That said, the accurate colours of the screen, along with the aforementioned sound quality, makes for an enjoyable viewing experience.
Calls and internet
The experience of making and receiving calls benefits from the strong call speakers and decent noise cancellation; I was able to hear people I was talking with clearly, and they remarked that my voice came through loud and clear.
As a 4G-capable device, the Storm is capable of stellar download speeds, depending on the reception available in a given area. GPS performance was also adequate, achieving a lock quickly and accurately and maintaining it successfully.
Battery life
Despite having some excellent specifications for the price, there was one aspect of the Wileyfox Storm that I was somewhat apprehensive about.
For the size of the display, I was worried that the 2500mAh, non-removable battery would prove to be the handset's Achilles heel. And after a week of use, battery performance is something of a mixed bag.
One of the key advantages of phablets is the extra space that the large display affords, and typically manufacturers usually make use of this extra room by fitting an extra-high-capacity battery unit.
Unfortunately, the Storm possesses exactly the same battery unit as its smaller brother, the Swift – and while the user can replace the battery in the Swift, they can't do so in the Storm.
This is worrying, particularly given that the Storm is aimed at power users. The facility to swap the battery in order to keep going through a busy day, on the move and with few opportunities for charging, is indispensable for many users, and its absence here is frustrating.
However, with the efficient Snapdragon 615 keeping everything chugging along, I found that the battery life of the Wileyfox Storm was generally acceptable, if not excellent.
Cyanogen is something of a complication in this regard, offering just two battery modes: one that optimises performance, and one that dumbs the phone down a little to eke out extra juice.
On a typical day, waking up at around 8am, playing maybe 20 minutes of Temple Run on the bus, listening to music for around an hour, watching a few videos, browsing the internet intermittently and sending and receiving texts and emails throughout the day, I found that I had around 15% charge left by 10pm.
On one occasion though, I found that the device lost 60% of its charge during the course of an evening. Generally the battery performance of the Storm, while not reaching the heights of, say the Moto X Play, is okay, if a little inconsistent.
Camera
For some years now, megapixels have been the measure of power by which marketing types have sold various photographic devices to an unassuming public, with the ever-increasing numbers implying increasing power and sophistication; this isn't, however, necessarily the case.
In short, more megapixels do not a good camera make. Conversely – and particularly given the small sensors typically found in smartphones – it can actually be to the detriment of the overall shooting experience.
Regardless, the 20MP primary camera on the Storm has been touted by Wileyfox as something special, if not quite on the level of the likes of the units in the iPhone 6S or Samsung Galaxy S6, two of this year's best camera phones.
The camera sports a Sony EXMOR sensor which, in addition to all those megapixels, also benefits from Back Side Illumination (BSI), a new and very in-vogue feature that's designed to improve low-light performance significantly.
The device also sports something of a special flash arrangement, at least for the price, with a dual-LED unit on the rear offering a little more power for better exposures. Another flash on the front complements the powerful 8MP selfie camera.
In good light the main, rear-facing camera produces images that had decent colour, but has a tendency to overexpose shots, especially when shooting towards the sun.
And the large megapixel count delivers here – detail is very well resolved, with none of the mushy textures produced by so many budget smartphone cameras.
The device did particularly well with macro shots, which are typically a strength of many smartphone cameras, given that they have such a short minimum focus distance. Detail was again excellent, and the Storm captured a nice shallow depth of field.
Low-light performance was also good – while images were a little noisy they were perfectly acceptable.
As for the selfie snapper, with 8MP to play with every pore and pimple is rendered in a degree of detail that might not always be appreciated. The inclusion of a flash means decent shots can be captured indoors and at night.
Video footage is of reasonable quality, tending to be a little overexposed but with decent colours.
As for the Cyanogen camera app, it's a mixed bag. Three buttons dominate the right side of the interface – record, capture and panorama – while a sidebar gives access to a camera toggle, flash toggle, quick effects such as HDR, and the settings menu where even more options can be adjusted.
As more manufacturers make more of an effort with their cameras at the low-end – particularly Motorola, with the Moto G (2015) sporting the same sensor as 2014's Nexus 6 – consumers expect a camera that's more than just acceptable.
And the Wileyfox storm certainly delivers in this respect – I found my experience with its camera to be the best I've yet had with a budget smartphone.
Camera samples
Click here for the full resolution image
Click here for the full resolution image
Click here for the full resolution image
Click here for the full resolution image
Click here for the full resolution image
The competition
Moto G4
With every passing year the Moto G line is typically seen as the model to beat in the budget space. While the Wileyfox Storm was better specced in almost every regard last year, the latest - the Moto G4 - has upped its game.
This time the Moto G comes with a Full HD display and an impressively powerful processor.
It doesn't come with NFC, a fingerprint scanner or any Moto Maker options, and the design is arguably not as nice as the Wileyform Storm. But that said, it's cheaper... so maybe this is a better choice for you.
Wileyfox Spark
This Wileyfox phone is over half the price of the Wileyfox Storm... but you shouldn't buy it.
We reviewed the phone and gave it two stars out of five because the performance is so bad and there's not enough storage.
It comes with a solidly built design, like the Storm, but considering how much you save it's not worth getting the Spark.
Moto X Play
One of a slate of Moto X devices released by Motorola in 2015, the Play fills out the mid-range of its lineup.
The Moto X Play has similar specifications as the Wileyfox Storm, especially with regards to the display and processor, and packs a larger 3630 mAh battery. It also has a waterproof coating, and supports voice commands.
In terms of price there's quite a big difference, with the Play costing around £60 more than the Storm. If battery capacity is essential, then the Play is the better buy; otherwise the Swift wins again.
Vodafone Smart Ultra 6
The Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 is an unassuming handset released by Vodafone earlier this year. Locked to the carrier, it nonetheless sports many of the same specifications as the Wileyfox Storm, but at a lower price of around £125.
This price comes with a number of trade-offs, however: a poor camera, carrier bloatware and an unclear update schedule for later versions of Android mar the device somewhat.
For those absolutely focused on getting the best value for their buck, no matter the sacrifice, the Smart Ultra Six is a strong option; however the WileyFox Storm offers a more complete overall package.
Verdict
The Wileyfox Storm, on paper, represents considerable value for money. With great specifications and lots of customisation potential, at £199 it ought to be a real steal.
Yet with a complicated operating system that may not be ideal for every user, and only average battery life, the Wileyfox Storm doesn't deliver across the board. So, as the competition heats up, is being good value for money enough?
We liked
The Wileyfox Storm is a very pleasant device to hold and use, even one-handed. With a decent balance and weight, and being made from good quality, grippy materials, it feels robust and polished.
The 5.5-inch Full HD screen is also excellent, delivering great colour reproduction, good viewing angles and more than enough resolution for enjoying movies and games. Performance is also a strong suit, with the Snapdragon 615 keeping everything moving along comfortably.
While many handsets have promised a brilliant camera experience at an unbelievably low price, the Storm is one of the few that actually comes close to delivering, offering a great overall shooting experience.
Cyanogen is also something of a refreshing experience, with strong options for customisation and privacy guards keeping the interests of the end user front and centre.
We disliked
Battery life could be a little better. Although performance was generally adequate, as other manufacturers continue to up their game in this regard it would have been nice to see either a larger unit, or the ability to replace the existing pack easily.
Although Cyanogen is generally fine in everyday usage, a little more could have been done to tailor the experience for users new to the OS. With a cluttered settings menu offering so many different options, some clearer organisation and division between simple and advanced options would be welcome.
The supplied power cable is also a little on the short side, while it took a little effort to get my existing microUSB cables into the charging port.
Final verdict
With the Swift and the Storm, newcomer Wileyfox has caused quite a stir this year, producing two handsets that are more accomplished than many of their competitors in a number of areas.
The Wileyfox Storm is a good choice for those looking for any or all of good value, plenty of user control and a great camera, although as the lines between the mid and low ranges continue to blur, and with devices like the OnePlus X appearing, it remains to be seen for how long the Storm will be able to stand out from the crowd.
Moreover, Cyanogen OS still has a lot of growing to do. Although the company behind the software has made deals with a number of manufacturers to support their devices, in some cases these relationships have proven to be somewhat fractious (such as with OnePlus), which is to the detriment to the end user, certainly when it comes to long-term support.
For the moment, however, the Wileyfox Storm is close to the pinnacle of what can be achieved at the £199 price point without carrier subsidies, with only the average battery life really letting the device down.
Keep an eye on Wileyfox – the future will certainly be interesting.
First reviewed: October 2015
July 13, 2016 at 10:30PM
Sean Cameron
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