WileyFox isn’t a brand that’s too common in the UK mobile phone market, but with their phones improving all of the time, from the Swift 2 and Swift 2 Plus right through to the new WileyFox Swift 2X which we’re taking a look at today.
There’s no hiding from the fact that the new WileyFox Swift 2X fits right at home on the budget phone market. It does come in at only £219 unlocked from various vendors online. I have seen it for as little as £144 on Amazon though, so there are deals to be had.
But there are elements to this mobile that would definitely make you look twice. Like its all metal uni-body that looks like one seamless sheet that goes from front to back. It has a thickness of 8.8mm.
It has a slight curve to its back too which is very similar to those from HTC, and does feel pretty comfortable to hold in your hands. It’s not light, but it’s not heavy either. It was even comfortable enough for one handed use, stretching my thumb across the screen with ease.
The screen is only 1080p so no 4K sharp images here, but it is a vast improvement over its lower models. The screen only comes in at 5 inches too so it’s not too big, but large enough to consume media comfortably.
You can still get some very good contrast from the screen though even if colours are a little unsaturated. I still enjoyed watching media on here, and couldn’t find too much fault with the way things like YouTube and Netflix were playing back. Viewing angles are also pretty amazing for such a budget handset.
Inside the phone you’re going to find the same processor that was used on the previous model – a Snapdragon 430 CPU which has been paired with 3GB RAM. It’s not a bad spec for the phone, and performance was decent enough even for multitasking too. I ran into a few splutters and moments of lag, but none were really worth mentioning too much.
There is also an Adreno 505 graphics processor inside too so you can get a decent frame rate out of lower tiered titles. Higher graphical games will also play, but I experienced lower framerates and again a few jitters when rendering new areas of games like Modern Combat 5.
The WileyFox Swift 2X also supports quick charging too, but for some strange reason, isn’t supplied with a compatible plug. There’s no plug at all in fact, only a USB cable and the phone inside the box. You will need to buy a separate plug if you’re wanting to take advantage of this. The phone uses a USB-Type C interface.
There’s a 3010mAh battery inside which saw me make it to just about a full day of heavy use of social media, camera and also music apps. I did have Bluetooth and Location turned on pretty much the whole time too as I was using the phone with my wireless headphones as well as using Maps to get around.
The Operating System I’ll admit I had to do some Googling to find out about. It’s called Cyanogen OS and it has ceased to exist. By that I mean it’s no more. Gone from this world. Which is a shame because as an operating system it worked alright. Okay, it’s not Android, and I won’t go into too much detail as WileyFox are apparently rolling out stock Android 7.0 in a future update. For those fans of Cyanogen OS, expect some tweaks to the Android experience for you too.
If photos and videos are your thing then you can expect good things. The camera actually performs rather well in well lit situations. It uses a Samsung sensor which can be found in higher tiered Samsung phones, and WileyFox has done a great job implementing it here. You can also expect a full range of manual controls, as well as features like HDR and Beauty modes. Menu layout is a bit strange when it comes to the camera, but Auto mode will generally cover most situations you find yourself in.
If you’re wanting to take some low-light shots then think again. I found the phone couldn’t focus too well, especially for things up close. Pictures also come out very grainy too. You have to remember, this is a budget handset, so don’t expect the world from the camera.
For a mid-range priced smart phone, the WileyFox Swift 2X is in a good position. The closest thing phones to it are the OnePlus 3T which is much more expensive and the Moto G4, which sits on par with the Swift 2X. Now that Android 7.0 is rolling out to the phone and the fact that its aesthetics are on par with the flagship phones, it makes the WileyFox Swift 2X a phone to be reckoned with. For more information, please visit the WileyFox website.
