Review: Vodafone Smart Ultra 7

Introduction and design

The Vodafone Smart Ultra 7 hits the market at an interesting time. Here in the middle of 2016, we've reached the point where it's no longer a surprise when a really good, really cheap phone comes along.

The Moto G family set the tone several years ago, and we've since seen a whole bunch of top-value Chinese phones flood the low-end market.

Not to be undercut, UK mobile networks like EE and Vodafone have stepped up with surprisingly decent cheap efforts of their own. In fact, last year's Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 was one of the better sub-£150 phones of the year.

So how does its successor fare in an even more competitive market?

Costing just £135 on Pay As You Go, the Vodafone Smart Ultra 7 appears well equipped for the fight. It's got a decent lower-mid-range processor, a large and bright display, and a well-spec'd camera.

But as I've already said, this is an incredibly competitive market, with the Moto G4 resetting the parameters for what we expect from our affordable smartphones.

Vodafone's going to need to do something special once again with this year's effort - especially if it requires you to switch to the network from your current provider.

Design

Vodafone's Smart Ultra 7 looks quite different to last year's model, despite essentially boiling down to the same combination of plastic and glass.

You get those faux-metal-effect plastic edges that are bafflingly common on this kind of phone. They're fine, and hard-wearing enough, but they can only ever really disappoint whenever you get within touching distance of the handset.

Around back, Vodafone has opted for a curious textured plastic finish. It's slightly pearlescent from a distance, and more than a little odd to look at close-up. The truth is, I'm still not sure whether I like it or not a week into my time with the phone - but at least it's a bit different from the norm.

The side power and volume buttons are pleasantly - or at least usefully - textured, so they're easy to distinguish and activate quickly by feel alone. Meanwhile, around front there are more changes from the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6.

It's pretty similar in a blank-slate, black-slab-of-glass kind of way, but the key area to focus on is just below the display. Whereas last year's model had a set of dedicated capacitive keys, the Smart Ultra 7 adds a physical home button.

In shape and function it's quite similar to the home button on the Samsung Galaxy S range - albeit with a slightly less satisfying click. It's a shame there's no similar double-click camera shortcut, though.

Either side of this home button you get the familiar back and recent apps capacitive keys. This serves to remove the functions from the UI itself, which means a diversion from the default setup for stock Android. Both approaches have their merits, and I can't say I have a massive preference either way.

At 150g the Vodafone Smart Ultra 7 sits nicely in the hand, and is actually 9g lighter than the Smart Ultra 6. However, a thickness of 8.7mm means it's a fraction chunkier. Still, it's both lighter and thinner than its big rival, the Moto G4 (which is 155g and 9.8mm thick).

On the bottom of the phone you get the standard micro USB port and a solitary, somewhat tinny speaker. The top edge simply contains a 3.5mm headphone jack.

And that's about it for external features. It's simultaneously a rather plain and slightly curious design, and one that fails to ignite much in the way of admiration. But it's perfectly functional, which is all you can really ask for in an affordable phone.

Key features

Just as the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 distinguished itself with a fine screen at a low price, so does the Vodafone Smart Ultra 7.

Once again, we're looking at a large (albeit pretty standard for Android) 5.5-inch display with a Full HD 1080p resolution (that's 1080 x 1920). Those are the same basic vital statistics as the Moto G4, as well as the OnePlus 3 - and the latter is a £329 phone.

Of course, the OnePlus 3 display is a bold AMOLED example, whereas the Smart Ultra 7 relies on IPS LCD panel technology. As a result, it's not the most vibrant or contrasty display we've ever seen. Indeed, it's not even a matter of the technology used - it's notably more washed out when held up against more premium IPS LCD displays like the iPhone 6S.

Maximum brightness isn't all that bright, and viewing angles, too, aren't quite at the same level as the best IPS LCD displays. That's typically one of this display technology's strengths, and the fact that the Smart Ultra 7 isn't quite up to speed (although far from bad) is possibly because the screen isn't positioned right near the surface glass like in higher end phones.

But we have to return, once again, to that price. For just £135 you're getting a crisp display where you'll struggle to pick out the individual pixels in general usage.

Another key selling point for the Smart Ultra 7 is its near-stock Android OS. I've always appreciated the fact that Vodafone doesn't attempt to create or commission a heavy custom skin for its phones. It's a clever move, as by simply not meddling, Vodafone's phones often feel sharper, fresher, and more responsive than many phones at twice the price.

It also means that you're getting Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. That's the latest version of Google's OS, whilst you'll find that some phones (particularly from China) are still launching with Android 5.1 Lollipop.

This means that straight away you get additional built-in features like Doze and Google Now on Tap. Or rather, you should. I found that Google Now on Tap, which typically gives you contextual information on whatever you're doing with a press and hold of the home button, wasn't active out of the box.

What's more, while there's an option to activate it in the settings menu, it didn't seem to work. Rather, it simply jumped to the plain old Google Now screen when I held down the home button.

Still, Google Now on Tap isn't quite where it needs to be as a service right now, so it's not a massive loss.

More irritating by far is the presence of Vodafone's own ugly apps. Many of these are optional at setup, so you don't have to install the likes of Vodafone's Wallet or Protect apps.

But you still have to put up with Vodafone's own Call+ and Message+ apps, as well as an Accessories app for flogging you more stuff, a Vodafone Start widget, and a Vodafone Expert Tips screen to the left of the primary home screen.

Of course, this being Android you can replace those default messaging and dialler apps, and removing the widget is as simple as pressing, holding, and dragging to the Remove option. You can also deactivate the annoying tips notifications you'll receive from Vodafone in the aforementioned Expert Tips screen, so it's useful for one thing at least.

Overall, though, this is just about the stock-est Android UI this side of a Nexus or Moto phone.

Another key feature Vodafone is pushing with the Vodafone Smart Ultra 7 is perhaps predictable coming from a mobile network - 4G connectivity.

In truth, though, this is less of a boast than it used to be. It's quite normal for entry-level smartphones to be able to connect to super-fast mobile networks these days. For example, the Moto E (2015) launched back at the beginning of 2015 with just such LTE support - and that only cost £100 at launch.

Then again, 4G was arguably somewhat superfluous on such early cheap-and-cheerful 4G phones. What's the point of being able to stream rock-solid Full HD video on the move when all you've got is a 4.5-inch 540 x 960 display?

As such, the Vodafone Smart Ultra 7 succeeds by combining 4G connectivity with that large and sharp 5.5-inch 1080p display. It's a great entry point for serial YouTube or Netflix addicts.

Performance and battery

Traditionally, if you're paying less than £200 for a smartphone, you can generally expect a noticeable hit to performance. Or at least, those who have experience with high-end phones will notice it.

It's true that the Vodafone Smart Ultra 7 doesn't set the pulse racing with its MediaTek MT6755M CPU and 2GB of RAM. Taiwanese chip maker MediaTek doesn't have the experience or cachet of Qualcomm and its Snapdragon range, but its processors are improving all the time - and they're cheap.

Sure enough, the Smart Ultra 7 performs reasonably well in general day to day tasks. Flicking through home screens is quick, notification menu animations are smooth, and opening the camera app is appreciably snappy.

Starting up apps can bring a bit of a pause, though, and I have to say that Chrome performance wasn't too snappy during my time with the phone.

Gaming was a bit of a mixed bag too. Dead Trigger 2 ran well even on high settings, but Vainglory - whilst relatively smooth graphically - experienced some curious sound issues. This is the trouble with using a more obscure chipset, I guess.

Geekbench 3 tests confirm that the Smart Ultra 7 is a respectable performer compared to its contemporaries. An average multi-core score of 3076 pitches it at a similar level to the Moto G4, which scored 3104 with its more mainstream Snapdragon 617 CPU.

It's also considerably faster than the Smart Ultra 6 and its Snapdragon 615, which scored 2091.

While we're talking about specs, now would be a good time to note that the Smart Ultra 7 comes with 16GB of internal storage. No, that's not an awful lot, and it's the same as the Smart Ultra 6 before it.

But it's hopefully an indicator that we've left the dark days of 8GB, where just installing your regular selection of apps and games would bring a phone to its knees, behind.

Besides, you can also expand that storage via a microSD slot, handily stashed behind that peel-off rear cover.

Battery life

With a 2960mAh (non-removable) battery, the Smart Ultra 7 drops a little behind its predecessor and the Moto G4, both of which are powered by 3000mAh units. But it's a pretty insignificant difference, all things told.

This sizeable battery, combined with the big.LITTLE architecture of that MediaTek MT6755M CPU (which means it efficiently switches between two sets of four cores according to the task) and a less demanding Full HD display, mean that you'd expect the Smart Ultra 7's battery life to be pretty decent. You'd be right, too.

Very light usage will see you through the best part of two days, as Vodafone claims, but most moderate-to-heavy users will last comfortably through a single day of use without having to rush to a wall socket.

This is aided, no doubt, by the presence of Android 6.0 and Doze. This means that when your phone isn't in use for a prolonged spell (and I mean left completely alone), the phone will kick into a light power-saving mode without interrupting any notification frequencies or core functions.

It means that when you return to your phone in the morning, or after a long meeting, you shouldn't have lost a significant amount of power.

In the standard comparative TechRadar battery test, which consists of a 90 minute looped 720p video with the screen brightness cranked up to max and full connectivity, the Smart Ultra 7 consumed a more-than-respectable 17 percent on average.

That's identical to the result we obtained with the Moto G4. Unlike the Moto G4, however, you don't get any sort of quick-charging function here.

Camera

Smartphone camera technology has come on in leaps and bounds over the years, and that includes among affordable handsets. The Vodafone Smart Ultra 7 packs an impressive-sounding 13MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus (PDAF), while the front camera is a 5MP unit.

Those are the kind of basic specs you'd have expected to find on a flagship phone not too long ago.

Of course, when you come down to the nitty gritty of taking pictures, the cheaper components soon tell. There's a slight pause when taking snaps, and an even longer one when you select HDR mode (yes, it's a manual process).

The results are just OK. Colours are reasonably accurate and well balanced and close-ups in particular look good from a detail point of view. But in more general shots, focus seems a little erratic, with odd background areas blurry whilst others retain their sharpness.

HDR mode, meanwhile, doesn't yield great results. Not only is it slow to take shots, but the results have that hyper-real bleached-out look that cheap phones have long struggled with.

Using the camera in less than optimal lighting won't yield great results either, with a noisy and washed-out look. But then, you'll find similar issues with all but the most expensive of phones.

In general you're getting a perfectly adequate camera for the money. There's also the small matter of a front-facing snapper with a dedicated LED flash. Vodafone clearly knows its young selfie-loving audience here.

The camera UI is one of the stronger ones we've encountered, with a nod to iOS in its stark simplicity, yet a simultaneous nod to Android with its manual mode. The latter lets you take direct control of ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and focus, which is something you don't get with the Moto G4.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Click here to see the full resolution image

Click here to see the full resolution image

Click here to see the full resolution image

Click here to see the full resolution image

Verdict

While 'competent and cheap' isn't exactly the most thrilling of endorsements, the Vodafone Smart Ultra 7 undoubtedly ticks a lot of boxes for its keen £135 price.

We liked

The Vodafone Smart Ultra 7 has the kind of sharp display and decent performance that enables it to mix with the Moto G4, which is the current standard-bearer for affordable phones.

You're also getting a crisp near-stock version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, with most of the benefits that entails.

All of this and it's available for a good chunk of change less than Motorola's latest cut-price phone.

We disliked

It might be cheaper than the Moto G4, but the Vodafone Smart Ultra 7 certainly feels it. I'm not a huge fan of the faux metal edges or weirdly glitzy plastic back.

While the UI is pretty much pure Android, you do need to put up with a little Vodafone meddling in terms of apps and services, too.

Finally, while we should always temper expectations given the price, the camera doesn't quite live up to its promising specs.

Verdict

Vodafone has done it again, creating a well-balanced and highly capable smartphone for just £135 on Pay As You Go.

It's well-built, if a little ugly, and it performs well in most scenarios. With this power, combined with 4G connectivity and a large and sharp display, the Smart Ultra 7 is great for portable media consumption on a budget.

And it's that price that really stands out here. The Smart Ultra 7 isn't quite as accomplished a phone as the Moto G4, but it's £35 cheaper. If every penny counts for you, this is a worthy alternative.

First reviewed: July 2016

July 28, 2016 at 10:24PM
Jon Mundy