Today, we’re reviewing the CUBOT A30 — a compact smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer that strikes a balance between affordability and modern features.
CUBOT is best known for its rugged gadgets, but this time we’re looking at a device from a different category. The A30 fits squarely into the budget segment, offering decent performance, a fairly large display, and Android 14 out of the box.
Can the CUBOT A30 truly meet the needs of the average user? In this review, we’ll take a closer look at its features to provide a detailed answer to this question.
CUBOT A30 Specifications
- Display: 6.75 inches, HD+ (1600×720), OGS technology, 500 nits brightness, 20:9 aspect ratio, screen occupies 82% of the body surface
- Processor: UNISOC Tiger T616 (2×Cortex-A75 2.0 GHz + 6×Cortex-A55 1.8 GHz), 12 nm process technology
- Graphics: Mali-G57 MP
- Memory: 6 GB RAM (LPDDR4X) with virtual expansion up to 10 GB, 128 GB UFS 2.2 storage
- Main camera: 48 MP, f/1.8, auxiliary module 0.3 MP, Full HD video 30 fps
- Front camera: 16 megapixels, f/2.45
- Battery: 5100 mAh
- Operating system: Android 14
- Communication standards: 2G (GSM): 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, 3G (WCDMA): 850 / 900 / 2100 MHz, 4G (FDD-LTE): B1 (2100) / B3 (1800) / B7 (2600)
- Geolocation services: GPS, A-GPS, GLONAS
- SIM card slot: for two SIM and SD card
- Dimensions: 4.0×77.5×9.6 mm
- Weight: 216 g
Read also: CUBOT A20 Review: Inexpensive Phone with Two Screens
Positioning and price
The Cubot A30 stands out from most of the brand’s lineup by not falling into the rugged device category. Instead, it features a slim body and resembles a classic smartphone, free from bulky rubber inserts or protective elements. The back panel houses an additional screen, which can be customized to suit individual preferences.
The Cubot A30 is available in two color options: black and pink. At the time of writing, it can be purchased on AliExpress at a promotional price of $125/€120.
Package contents
The phone arrived in a blue cardboard box. The package includes an 18W charger, a USB-A to USB-C cable, documentation, a SIM tray removal tool, as well as a protective screen cover and a case.
Interestingly, both screens come pre-applied with protective films.
Design, ergonomics, build quality
For its price, the design is quite impressive. First, the pink color option stands out, as manufacturers typically stick to classic choices like black or gray. Additionally, the device features a secondary screen. While its functionality is limited, it still offers useful features like checking the time, quickly reading notifications, viewing battery percentage, launching the camera, or switching tracks.
The front panel features a 6.75-inch display and a 16 MP selfie camera. The flat and relatively thick bezels give the design a somewhat retro feel.
The back panel houses a module containing the main camera, the secondary screen, and a flashlight, with a horizontal line visually dividing the surface. It’s worth noting that the camera module does not protrude from the body, which is a nice touch. As mentioned earlier, glossy protective films are pre-applied to both the main display and the secondary screen. Personally, I’m not a fan of the chunky frame around the secondary screen, but design preferences are subjective.
The right edge of the device features the volume control and power buttons. However, the absence of a fingerprint scanner is a noticeable drawback. This omission is disappointing, especially since most devices in this price range include this feature as standard.
The left edge of the device houses the SIM card slot, while the bottom edge features a USB-C port for connecting the charging cable.
The phone’s body is entirely made of plastic. One advantage is that the rear panel does not retain fingerprints, keeping the smartphone looking clean. The device’s dimensions are 170.4×77.5×9.6 mm, and it weighs 216 g. I did not experience any discomfort while using it.
Read also: Cubot MAX 5 Review: An Affordable Gaming Smartphone
CUBOT A30 Display
The Cubot A30 features a 6.75-inch display with an HD+ resolution (1600×720) and OGS technology. The screen covers 82% of the body’s surface, providing a decent amount of space for viewing content. The maximum brightness of 500 nits is acceptable, but not exceptional. While it offers comfortable use indoors, visibility outdoors is limited.
The display offers good color reproduction and is suitable for everyday tasks such as watching videos, browsing social media, and reading texts. The smoothness of the image depends on the selected refresh rate (automatic, 60Hz, and a maximum of 90Hz).
One of the interesting features of the A30 is the mini display. This additional area allows you to quickly view notifications, the time, or other details without having to unlock the phone.
In the settings, you can adjust the brightness, enable dark mode, or choose the optimal screen mode, although the AoD (Always on Display) feature is unfortunately not available.
Hardware and performance
The smartphone is powered by the UNISOC Tiger T606 processor with 6GB of RAM and Mali G57MC1 graphics, offering smooth performance for everyday tasks. I used the phone for browsing social media, replying to messages, watching movies, and playing games.
Light games, such as PUBG Mobile, run smoothly without significant lag. However, more resource-intensive games present a real challenge for the CUBOT A30, making it uncomfortable to play them.
The 128 GB of internal storage provides ample space for most files, but if more is needed, one of the SIM slots can be swapped for a microSD card. Overall, the performance is sufficient for everyday tasks and light gaming, but it falls short for demanding applications or serious gaming.
CUBOT A30 Сameras
The cameras on the CUBOT A30 are definitely not its strongest feature. Starting with the 16 MP front camera, selfies are decent, but nothing more. The colors lack saturation and contrast, but overall, the quality is acceptable for casual use.
The main camera module, however, is where there are more issues. I understand that at this price, you shouldn’t expect exceptional results, but this module really doesn’t have much to praise.
The photos turn out dull, lacking depth in colors, detail, and dynamic range. Unfortunately, even in normal lighting conditions, this isn’t improved. Additionally, to capture even a decent shot, you need to stay completely still, as any movement results in blurry images.
The mini-screen of the CUBOT A30 allows you to take photos without unlocking the main screen, which is convenient for quick snapshots in certain situations, such as when you need to capture something spontaneously. However, the quality of these photos is lower, and it’s often difficult to tell what the final shot will look like, as the preview doesn’t always display the image accurately.
Video recording also leaves much to be desired. Due to the lack of stabilization, any hand movements during filming result in poor-quality footage. This is particularly noticeable when recording while on the move.
Another downside is the lack of a night mode. In low-light conditions, videos turn out dark, with noise and poor image quality.
Sound
The sound is very basic. The phone is equipped with a single speaker, so stereo sound is, of course, out of the question. As an experiment, I recorded my voice using the voice memo app and filmed a video with the front camera.
To be honest, I had to turn the volume up to the maximum to hear anything. The sound lacks depth and bass, and it feels like it’s echoing inside, not really reaching me.
Using wireless headphones improves the situation slightly. During conversations, the sound was clear, and I could hear the people on the other end well, while they could hear me clearly as well.
Communications and wireless technologies
The smartphone supports 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G. The supported bands are as follows:
- 2G GSM: B2/B3/B5/B8
- 3G WCDMA: B1/2/4/5/6/8/19
- 4G LTE FDD: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25/26/28AB/66
- 4G LTE TDD: 38/40/41
- 5G NR SA: N1/3/5/8/20/28/38/41/77/78
The biggest disappointment for me was the lack of NFC, as I believe this technology should be a standard feature in all smartphones by 2024.
The phone supports GPS and A-GPS location services.
CUBOT A30 Software
The CUBOT A30 runs on Android 14 and offers a clean software experience without any bloatware.
The interface runs smoothly, and apps switch quickly. The settings offer a variety of useful features, including a smart assistant, mini-screen customization, the ability to extend RAM up to 10 GB, a personal data protection panel, and danger notification settings, among others.
Benchmark results:
Read also: CUBOT A10 Smartphone Review
Battery life
The smartphone is equipped with a 5100 mAh battery, and the package includes a charger. I am quite satisfied with the battery life – it lasted 2 days on a single charge. According to the manufacturer, in the most “inactive” mode, the device can last 6-7 days, while normal usage will provide 2-3 days of operation.
CUBOT A30 takes quite a long time to charge, with the process lasting 1 hour and 25 minutes (from 0 to 100%). The phone does not support wireless charging.
Conclusions
CUBOT A30 is a smartphone that comes with both advantages and significant drawbacks. The negatives include the lack of NFC, a fingerprint scanner, the Always-On Display (AoD) feature, as well as mediocre camera quality and mono sound, which affects the multimedia experience.
However, the device compensates for these drawbacks with its strengths: a relatively low price, a clean Android 14 without unnecessary bloatware, an interesting design, decent battery life that allows comfortable usage throughout the day, and a quality display that provides a pleasant visual experience. It is a good choice for users looking for an affordable smartphone for basic tasks with a modern design and solid functionality.
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