HOMTOM S99 REVIEW & Unboxing: Good Smartphone In Everything!
There are so many Chinese manufacturers that we see new phones almost every day. HOMTOM is one of these companies. It is already popular on Chinese market, but many people outside China have not heard about it. I cannot say that it is bad, because HOMTOM should try to produce smartphones with good specifications and features, while not inflating prices, as many leading phone brands.
We already reviewed some devices from HOMTOM, for example, HOMTOM HT70. This phone leaves very good impressions. It comes with 10000mAh battery, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, while the price is only $180. You can read our full review of HOMTOM HT70.
Today we want to talk about another smartphone called HOMTOM S99. It costs even cheaper – about $130, but also offers very good features, such as 6200mAh battery, 5.5 inch 18:9 display, 4/64GB memory and 21MP+2MP cameras.
If you are interested in this phone, then we prepared full review of HOMTOM S99 with detailed benchmark tests, camera footage, real photos and videos.
Where to buy HOMTOM S99?
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Unboxing
HOMTOM S99 comes in a white box. There is sliding cardboard with company logo and main specifications on the back.
The package of smartphone is very good. Here you can find the phone itself, power adapter, USB cable, OTG cable, silicone case, SIM needle, protective film and user manual. OTG cable is very useful. It allows to connect other devices to the smartphone, such as USB flash drive, keyboard, computer mouse and others.
Design
The smartphone has matte factory film with HOMTOM S99 logo on top, and another protective film under it. Also, new phone comes with silicone case. It is very simple, but protect your phone from dirty, scratches and other damage.
First, we should note that smartphone is pretty thick. It is about 12.8 mm thick. From other side, its dimensions are quite compact, compared to other modern Android phones. The size of HOMTOM S99 is 149.5 mm x 70 mm. It is really comfortable to hold in one hand.
We have a black version, but also there is white color option. If the front panel looks standard (there is 5.5-inch display, front camera, earpiece and LED notification), then rear panel is very interesting. It has a textured coating, which looks and feels like a dragon skin.
The dual rear camera and flashlight are located on flat surface. Also, there is fingerprint reader under the camera sensors. At the bottom of back panel, you can see a small speaker grill.
As usual, the volume rocker and power button are located on the right side, while hybrid slot for dual SIM card and microSD memory card is on the left.
HOMTOM S99 has only microUSB port, but fortunately, there is 3.5 mm audio jack.
We cannot say that HOMTOM new phone looks premium. The device is made of cheap plastic, but the rear panel adds some interest to its design.
Display
HOMTOM S99 is equipped with 5.5-inch display. Thanks to 18:9 aspect ratio, it is much more compact than many other Android phones from 2017 and earlier. The resolution of the screen is HD+ (720 x 1440 pixels). The pixel density is 293 PPI.
These specifications are very good for budget phone. HD+ resolution provides good details, even when you read books or any other text on display. The contract and viewing angles are good.
As for the brightness, it is OK. Of course, in direct sunlight it will be more difficult to see something on the screen, than indoors, but it is the problem of any budget phone.
HOMTOM S99: Performance
The smartphone is powered by MediaTek MT6750 chipset. You can see the details about processor and other specifications of HOMTOM S99 on the screenshots below.
Our hero also has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory (about 92% or 50GB of storage is available for users). You can use microSD memory cards up to 256GB. So, you will not have any problems with storage.
MediaTek MT6750 is entry-level chipset, so it shows very modest results in benchmarks, such as AnTuTu (about 52000 points) and GeekBench 4 (659 points in single core test and 2519 points in multi-core test).
However, we played the latest Android games, and the phone runs them very well. PUBG Mobile automatically chooses low graphics settings, and you cannot change them in settings menu. However, you can comfortably play this game without slowdowns or lags.
Also, we played Asphalt 9: Legends. It is the latest game from Gameloft. The graphic is also low, just like PUBG Mobile, but HOMTOM S99 launches this game, and you can even play it with good FPS. We think it is very good for budget smartphone.
Also, we tested Wi-Fi and GPS. Speed Test shows around 45MB/s download speed and 5MB/s upload speed, while GPS Test demonstrates 2 meters accuracy, which is great!
Software
HOMTOM S99 runs on stock Android 8.0 Oreo operating system. It has default icons, widgets, quick notification menu, main settings menu and other options.
There is already pre-installed Google apps, such as YouTube, Browser, Play Store, Photos, etc. We found only one pre-installed app from manufacturer. It is ToolBag. Here you can find compass, gradienter, protractor and other functions. Perhaps, it will be useful for someone.
Among the most interesting features, we want to note about Face Unlock, Fingerprint Manager, Gesture Motion and Fast Capture.
HOMTOM S99: Camera
To be honest, we were impressed by camera sensors of HOMTOM S99. However, on practice the smartphone makes the average photos for its price category.
New device has 16-megapixel main sensor (with interpolation to 21MP) and 2-megapixel secondary sensor on the rear panel. The front camera has 8-megapixel sensor (with interpolation to 13MP).
The camera app is standard for Android 8.0 Oreo. You can use different modes, such as Portrait, HDR Panorama and others.
Below you can see real photos and videos in different light conditions. Also you can download original images by this link.
Sample Photos
Sample Videos
HOMTOM S99: Battery
Another highlight of HOMTOM S99 is battery. It has a capacity of 6200mAh. The smartphone supports OTG technology, so you can use it as power bank to charge other devices. It is very useful, isn’t it?
The battery life is about 2 days on a single charge, depending on usage. Of course, if you play heavy games, then you will need to charge it after 6-7 hours of playing.
The smartphone has only 5V/2A power charge, so the full battery charge takes about 3 hours.
Conclusion
After review of HOMTOM S99, we can say that our thoughts were confirmed. Its main feature is battery, and it provides very good battery life.
From other side, we expect better photos from main camera, but on practice, it has average quality. Moreover, the second sensor on the back seems fake, and you should not expect good portrait photos.
Also, we want to note latest Android 8.0 Oreo operating system. User interface runs very well, there are no any errors or lags. The smartphone runs any Android games, for example, PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9, but you need to choose low graphics settings.
So, if you are looking for budget phone with great battery life and compact size, then HOMTOM S99 will be good option. It is better to buy with discount, for example, GearBest offers 7% OFF on this phone.
Where to buy HOMTOM S99?
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Source: homtom
