UMIDIGI A15C (16+128GB) Android 13 NFC Unlocked Cell Phone|48MP Camera|5000mAh Battery-Graphite Black

The Umidigi A15C is a great inexpensive phone all things considered.

I have had several Umidigi phones in the past and I can say from my experience they continue to improve and provide a good value for people looking for reasonable price vs performance phones.

I purchased the space gray color and was it was received very quickly so Kudos for that. The phone specs that I am usually concerned with are listed a bit later in the review if you want to see that level of details otherwise here is my impression of the phone.

The phone is well packaged in a recycling conscious box which includes a gray tinted semi- transparent protective case for the phone, wall charger, charging cord, sim tool, and small paper manual covering the basics of the phone. A plastic type screen protector is already on the phone screen so that helps a bit.

The fingerprint reader is the right side power button and is easy to setup as well as fast to unlock phone unlike some of the in screen fingerprint readers of other phones. Interestingly enough the phone can keep up with me when I am entering the 6 digit unlock pin number when required. (many other phones do not and I have to type in the pin number slowly for them to recognize all the numbers) I don’t turn on face unlock so I wont comment on that feature.

I found the processor/CPU can keep up with my needs with no real lagging or pausing while using multiple apps and doing app updates. Scrolling pages and other common browser tasks are fluid. I don’t use my phone for games so that may be a different result.

Screen is bright and clear, resolution is moderate and refresh is not noticeable so pretty nice for a lower cost phone. Screen does get a bit overtaken in direct sunlight.

The rear camera system is comprised of a 3 circle area that contains a 48Mp sensor binned down to 12Mp @ F1.8 for main camera, a 8MP Ultra-Wide Camera @ F/2.2, and a 5MP Macro Camera @ F/2.4. Photos from the main camera, ultrawide and macro are as expected and are social media level of quality.

The front selfie or video conferencing camera is a 8MP @ F/2.2 and seems to work well for Zoom calls.

Wifi stays connected around the house and yard.

Blue tooth connects to my speakers, headphones and car.

AT&T cellular data and VoLTE calling is working provided by Red Pocket mvno sim. I did have to set the APN information for Red Pocket as usual. It has been on Red Pocket ATT for about a week and its still calling out via VoLTE. Phone does not seem to offer Voice calls over Wifi for Red Pocket.

T-Mobile cellular data and VoLTE calling is working as provided by T-Mobile post paid sim. I did not have to set the APN information for T-Mobile. Phone does offer Voice calls over Wifi for T-Mobile as the menu item is present and controllable when using the T-Mobile sim..

Sound is very much a cell phone sound but the volume is good without heavy distortion. Call volume for speaker phone and handheld calls is loud and clear enough for the normal environments I use a phone in. Still has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack.

The specs are reasonable for the cost of the phone and include:

Android 13 June security updates. Umidigi has improved over time at providing security updates but don’t expect Android version updates and other improvements as they are typically not provided.

8GB Ram with the option to increase the available memory by utilizing Rom storage space as operating memory. I appreciate the option is available but find 8GB is perfectly acceptable for a daily use smart phone.

128GB Storage memory for storage of apps, pictures and all sorts of other data.
The 128GB of storage can be increased in size with the addition of a micro sd card if needed and I tried a 64GB SanDisk that worked easily.

CPU is a Unisoc Tiger T606 which is an entry level octa core processor.

6.7” HD+ Full View Display, Resolution: 1650 × 720, Aspect Ratio: 20.6:9, Brightness: 500 nit (typ), and Contrast Ratio: 1500:1. Screen has slightly larger icons and text which works well for me.

My wife was due for an upgrade from her 2022 Bison since the GPS chip has been on the fritz for a while.

We transitioned to an Umidigi family around 2020, after using Zenfones for several generations prior to that. Those first few Umidigi devices we had blew me away at how good they were for the price. They were a full step above the Zenfones at the same price point. Their design philosophy seemed pretty consistent: package a snappy mediatek SoC with an adequate amount of RAM, a big bright vibrant screen, and a robust battery into a budget-priced device.

I am still using my Power 3 and will as long as I’m able to. It still goes for days between charges and I have learned to replace screens to keep it going (on screen 3 right now). My kids have had A9 Pros for two years now and they’ve been surprisingly durable considering they’ve stood up to tween abuse. My wife’s Bison served her very well until the GPS started acting up. That, along with the Bison I had for a while that drowned, have been the only points of failure we’ve experienced with their hardware.

She’s been using the A15c for a little over a month now and we thought we’d share her experiences. First off, the battery. As usual with Umidigi devices, it comes with a large capacity battery that is the real deal. Maybe not quite as beefy as the 6300mah battery in my Power 3, but still good enough to go a full day of her pretty intensive use and still have a decent amount of battery life left.

Let me explain further, one day of use for my wife would probably be two or three days of use for me. She says the A15c is a little better than her Bison, which was making it about 14-15 hours before needing to be charged. Since we switched her over to this phone, I charged up her old phone and had it sitting next to me. It went at least 7 days before the battery finally died (I kept getting notifications on it for our doorbell).

There are two areas where I believe Umidigi are easily the segment leaders for Android phones. One is battery life, the other is screen quality. Their screens are always plenty bright for outdoor use and look great. This device is no exception. They are getting bigger and bigger. This one is probably 4-5mm bigger than the Bison, which already had a largish screen. We’re approaching phablet territory. My wife hasn’t complained about the size, but very much bigger and they’ll probably stop fitting in mom-jean back pockets.

Everything else is working as expected. The T606 processor is fast enough for smart phone stuff and seems to do pretty good with regard to battery life. The NFC and GPS work as you’d expect. No problem getting quick locks for GPS navigation. Verizon and Mint both go up to 25-30mbps lte service in my area on this device. I didn’t rate it on face recognition since we don’t utilize that feature as the extra drain it puts on batteries aren’t worth it in our opinion, but we did test it and it seemed to work fine. The fingerprint sensor on the power button works great.

I haven’t had a chance to try to tweak the settings on the camera, which has been my wife’s biggest complaint. She isn’t happy with the quality of low light photos and videos at the moment. I went through some of what she’s captured and there is definitely some graininess and noticeable lack of image stabilization. This might be one area where this device is a step back from the Bison, which had a pretty adequate camera. Just making some changes to the camera settings may alleviate some of the problems she has experienced.

My only personal gripe about this device/listing is that they’re misrepresenting it as having 16gb of RAM. It has 8gb of RAM and it has a linux kernel (All androids run on top of linux) with zram enabled which compresses data going into and decompresses data coming out of RAM. It isn’t a gimmick, it really does work well for devices with low RAM since it’s a lot faster than swap, but it’s not RAM and shouldn’t be advertised as such. Honestly representing what you’re selling is important for long-term success in the US, in my opinion, and they have worthy products.

In summary, I think you’d be very hard pressed to find a better brand new Android phone at this price point.

I recently got my hands on the UMIDIGI A15C running Android 13, and I must say it’s been a pleasant experience. This phone, which comes with a protective case right out of the box, offers good overall performance and is a testament to UMIDIGI’s commitment to improving their budget-friendly devices.

Design and Accessories (5/5):
Including a protective case is a thoughtful touch, ensuring your phone’s safety from day one. The design is functional, with easy access to buttons and ports. While it may not have a premium build, it feels sturdy and practical.

Sound Quality (5/5):
The sound quality is commendable, offering clear voices and good overall audio performance. While it may not match the top-tier flagship phones, it provides an enjoyable listening experience without any significant complaints.

Previous Experience (5/5):
As someone who’s had several UMIDIGI phones in the past, I can attest to the company’s continuous improvement in delivering excellent value for money. The A15C is no exception.

Performance (5/5):
The A15C’s decent battery life, bright and spacious screen, and capable SOC (System on Chip) make it a reliable choice in its price range. It handles multitasking with ease, transitions smoothly between apps, and doesn’t exhibit significant performance issues.

Processor and CPU (4/5):
The processor/CPU performs admirably, keeping up with the demands of multiple apps and app updates. Common browser tasks are fluid, and it handles day-to-day usage well. While gaming performance isn’t highlighted here, it’s worth noting that it might meet the needs of casual gamers.

Fingerprint Reader (5/5):
The side-mounted fingerprint reader is both easy to set up and fast to unlock the phone. It’s a welcome change from in-screen fingerprint readers and even handles the entry of the 6-digit unlock pin smoothly, which can be a frustration point on some other devices.

Camera (4/5):
The camera produces acceptable photos but doesn’t excel in color accuracy or image fidelity. Nevertheless, it captures clear images, and considering the price point, it offers good value for casual photography.

In conclusion, the UMIDIGI A15C running Android 13 is a reliable budget smartphone that gets the job done without breaking the bank. It’s a testament to UMIDIGI’s commitment to providing reasonably priced devices that cater to the needs of everyday users. While it may not offer all the bells and whistles of flagship phones, it offers a compelling package for those seeking a budget-friendly yet capable smartphone.

The phone was excellent. Call quality, app response, camera, all great. But, the phone was larger than I thought it would be and heavier than was comfortable for a small hand to hold longer than a few minutes. It’s the main reason I had to return it. One other thing I found annoying was it arrived set up for no app drawer and it took me a day to figure out how to find then change the settings so the apps I transferred went into the app drawer instead of the home screen.
Calls on this phone were clearer than any previous phone I’ve used and had it not been for the weight I’d have been happy to keep and use it. This is a good quality phone and a reliable manufacturer.

We were notified from our cell phone company that this phone is not compatible to use on A T & T, as stated on Amazon in the item description.