Saygus V2: We try it out at MWC just before release
The Saygus V² created a lot of buzz last year with its awesome specs and very interesting features like dual microSD card support. But many months have passed and the phone has not yet hit the market. So what will become of the Saygus V2? That’s what we found out at MWC 2016 where we wad the chance to talk in a lot of detail with the Saygus team and learn all about the V² and everything that went on with the project all this time.
Saygus V² – What has changed by now
With a project running for quite some time, there are bound to be some changes in order for the phone to stay current. First of all, the Saygus V2 or Saygus V² if we want to be precise, now sports a USB Type-C port, which is where the industry is heading. Secondly, the phone is now washable (!), yes you read that correctly, you could wash the phone to get rid of dirt or smudges. There has also been a lot of changes in software. The team has experimented with many launchers on top of Android but we are not sure with what skin the phone will ship with, we’re hoping that Saygus will stick with stock Android though. What we know for sure though is that the final software will be based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow which is the latest version available. Lastly, the final edition of the Saygus V2 will not only have dual microSD slot but will also be Dual SIM.
Saygus V2 – What stayed the same
Now let us remind you what else the Saygus V2 has to offer, that hasn’t changed over the course of the production cycle. First of all the Snapdragon 801 processor stayed the same. In the 64bit era of smartphones that might sound outdated, but Saygus defended their decision saying that the 801 SoC offers the same experience as the latest Qualcomm chips, and changing it over to something like the 810 would have caused a lot more issues without providing anything noticeably better for the consumer. The processor is coupled with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of on board storage. By combining that with two 200GB microSD card (the biggest capacity available) you have more than 450GB of storage in you phone!
The screen of the Saygus V2 measures in at 5″ with a resolution of 1080p. That is a great combination in terms of size and resolution. While a QHD might have been better, I personally have no problem with 1080p flagships and I can’t easily distinguish between a 1080p and a 2K display. In the camera department we find the Sony IMX230 sensor which is capable of capturing images at 21MP. At the we find a 13MP shooter. Surprisingly, both sensor are optically stabilized which is not something we see on other smartphones (for the front camera). The audio is another area where the Saygus V2 offers a great setup with dual front facing speakers from Harman Kardon. We haven’t about the battery yet. The capacity is on par with the best out there, specifically 3100mAh, but Saygus claims their battery savings chip inside the phone could offer you a battery performance equal to a battery of about 4650mAh.
Saygus V² – Our opinion
There is no doubt that producing a phone from scratch is a hard thing to do. Saygus caught every enthusiasts attention when, in early 2015, they announced the V² which had, at the time, everything that tech lovers such ourselves wanted (5″ 1080p screen, big battery, good camera, front facing speakers etc.), but since then it has been more than a year. There have been problems that lead to a change in manufacturers for example. Naturally, we have our doubts for the product, and we’re not certain if the Saygus V2 will finally get a release. But the Utah based company assures us that we are almost there, and they are ready to launch the Saygus V2.
Truth is, the latest engineering sample was nowhere near ready to ship. There are a lot of software issues to be dealt with, whereas hardware seems to be almost ready. The expected shipping date is late March to early April 2016 as Saygus said to us. So we will hold on our judgments until the expected release date. We hope that this time they will make their target and bring the phone to the market. And when they do we’ll be happy to test the final product and give you our opinions on it.
Greek article here: TechValue.gr
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