In an ever expanding mid-range smartphone market, Coolpad has launched their Cool Play 6. The phone launch was held in Dubai and we also got our hands on the device for testing and review. Packed some premium features, the Coolpad Cool Play 6 can be competing with some good phones here.
Priced at Rs. 14,999, the phone is competing directly with Motorola and Xiaomi in the budget segment. It packs a 5.5 inch display, dual cameras, Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage. Let us have a detailed look at the Coolpad Cool Play 6.
Coolpad Cool Play 6 Specifications
| Key Specs | Coolpad Cool Play 6 |
|---|---|
| Display | 5.5 inch IPS LCD |
| Screen Resolution | Full HD, 1920 x 1080 pixels |
| Operating System | Android 7.1.1 Nougat |
| Processor | Octa-core: 4 x 1.95 GHz Cortex-A72 4 x 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 |
| GPU | Adreno 510 |
| Memory | 6GB |
| Inbuilt Storage | 64GB |
| Storage Upgrade | No |
| Primary Camera | 13MP + 13MP, f/2.0, PDAF, dual LED flash |
| Video recording | 2160p @ 30fps, 720p @ 30fps |
| Secondary Camera | 8MP |
| Battery | 4,000 mAh |
| Fingerprint Sensor | Yes, rear-mounted |
| 4G | Yes |
| VoLTE | Yes |
| SIM Card Type | Dual SIM |
| Other features | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Weight | 175 grams |
| Dimensions | 152.4 × 75.2 × 8.45 mm |
| Price | Rs. 14,999 |
Physical Overview
To begin with, the Coolpad Cool Play 6 comes with a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display. An 8MP camera with earpiece, sensor array sit at the top and the capacitive navigation keys are placed below the display.
The back is fully made of metal, it houses the dual 13MP cameras, vertically placed at the top center, with a dual LED flash to the right side. A Fingerprint sensor can also be seen just below the camera module. You can see the Coolpad branding at the bottom, along with Antenna lines.
The top of the phone features a 3.5mm earphone jack while a USB Type-C port and speaker grille sit at the bottom.
On the right side of the Coolpad Cool Play 6, you will find the Volume Rockers and Lock Button. These are also made out of metal and are responsive to use.
To the left side, you get the dual SIM card tray. The Cool Play 6 does not have expandable storage option but the 64GB onboard storage should be more than enough for most users.
Display
Coming to the display on the Coolpad Cool Play 6, you get a 5.5 inch IPS-LCD display with Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels ) resolution.
Thanks to the IPS LCD panel, the Cool Play 6 offers good viewing angles and accurate color reproduction. In low light usage, you can dim the display to adjust to your eyes, and while in daylight, it is clear to view. The display is quick and responsive to touch.
Camera
Coming with a dual camera setup, the Coolpad Cool Play 6 offers dual 13MP cameras at the back. This camera comes with f/2.0 aperture and dual LED flash. It also comes with phase detection autofocus. You also get an 8MP front facing camera for selfies and video calling.
Camera User Interface
The user interface on the Cool Play 6 camera is simple and easy to navigate. Swiping to the left, you can switch between Photo Mode, Beauty Mode and Night Mode. When you swipe to the right, it toggles video mode.
You can toggle Flash, SLR (bokeh effect), HDR, Front/rear camera, or other modes using the icons at the top of the screen.
Camera Samples
We took the Coolpad Cool Play 6 for testing the 13MP dual cameras as well as the front camera. Also, an Over The Air (OTA) update was received fixing certain issues earlier spotted on the phone. Although this update did not mention any camera updates in the changelog, we took it to testing after the update so no stones are left unturned.
Daylight Samples
Here we took two images of the same subject. The image to your left is one without HDR, while the one to your right is with HDR enabled. The shots were pretty good and focussed and no shutter lag was spotted during daylight testing.
Artificial Light Sample
The camera did not lose focus in Artificial lighting as well, but when you zoom into the image, you will be able to spot minute grains. Although the overall clarity was maintained and that too without flash, and the shutter lag was insignificant but present.
Low Light Sample
When shot in low light conditions, the Coolpad Cool Play 6 gave visible grains in the images. While the image is clear when seen as a whole, you will spot grains on zooming in on the subject. There was some loss of detail and we had to hold the camera steady as capturing took a fraction of a second.
Hardware and Storage
Talking about hardware, the Coolpad Cool Play 6 is packing a Snapdragon 653 octa-core processor, clocked at 1.95 GHz. This processor is coupled with an Adreno 510 GPU, accompanied by 6GB RAM and 64GB Internal storage.
Now the processor given here is good and optimized for performance as well as battery life. The only limitation we felt here was the absence of expandable storage. Now, this may be a deal breaker for some, but the device features 64GB internal storage so you don’t have to free-up space every now and then.
Software and Performance
Running Android 7.1.1 Nougat with Journey UI on top, the Cool Play 6 offers an overall smooth experience. You get toggles for setting the display to Vivid, Natural, and Eye Care modes. One problem we faced while testing was that there was no search bar to look for an app if you cannot find it on the screen.
Also, notifications appear really well in this UI. You can single tap to expand a notification and then open it if you want. We did not face any lag or crashes while using the device. The messaging app was crashing earlier but Coolpad was quick to push an update to fix that and also included permissions for AnTuTu benchmarks in the OTA update.
Battery and Connectivity
Powered by a 4,000 mAh battery, the Coolpad Cool Play 6 was left with 22% after a full day of usage including gaming and video playback. The phone did not heat or lag during gaming but took about 30 minutes to charge from 30% to 65%, which is a little slow.
For connectivity options, you get a 3.5mm earphone jack, a USB Type-C port, Bluetooth, and WiFi. Although the phone misses out on NFC and Magnetic Compass sensor. Coolpad could have added NFC to support Android Beam and other added features from Android.
Verdict
After a full day of usage from gaming to benchmarking and taking images, the Coolpad Cool Play 6 held very well together. There was no visible lag or misbehavior with the smartphone. Although the low light camera performance is not commendable, the camera is still pretty good for this price segment.
We also felt that bezels are pretty chunky on the Cool Play 6, and it is a little heavy compared to other devices in the same price range. At the same time, the phone is easy to hold and use with one hand which is a good thing.
The Coolpad Cool Play 6 will be available from September 4 at a price of Rs. 14,999. The device will go on sale as an Amazon exclusive.
