Vernee Apollo Review - 2K Display and VR On A Budget!
The Smartphone business just keeps growing and growing, and while most Chinese companies still try to churn out a new phone every month, and never update it afterwards, there are companies like Vernee who stick to the old formula - Few but Great and with proper Support!
VERNEE - DO BETTER
The company's motto is - DO BETTER and that's what they do! Vernee has been around for more than a year and has only made 4 smartphone models, all of which very successful.
Vernee Thor was the first device to hit the market last year, hitting the market at a great price and offering 3GB RAM a great camera and Octa-Core chip for just 99$
Vernee Thor was the first device to hit the market last year, hitting the market at a great price and offering 3GB RAM a great camera and Octa-Core chip for just 99$
That was followed up by the company's first Flagship with Helio X20 - Vernee Apollo Lite
Perhaps the first real OnePlus competitor on the market, as it offered top of the line performance,
4K recording and 4GB RAM and is also ON SALE FOR JUST 179$!
Then Vernee released a device in a class of its own, the absolutely fabulous Vernee Mars!
Focusing on Design, aesthetics and display quality, and is currently on sale at just 179$.
Vernee planned to launch the Vernee Apollo last year, but due to wanting to make the device better
and keep the price to a reasonable level, they opted to wait, and the wait was worth it!
Hardware And Specs
You can see that the Vernee Apollo, packs perhaps the most feature rich package at any price on the market today.
It just has it all, Great 2K Display, Great 22MP Sony Camera, Metal body, Super performance, USB-C, Fingerprint Scanner and a VR kit!
All that is in the box, no catches, no gimmicks, and it works too!
Running a stock version of Android 6.0.1 with no bloatware and getting regular updates,
including Android Nougat 7.0 within the next few months.
All that is in the box, no catches, no gimmicks, and it works too!
Running a stock version of Android 6.0.1 with no bloatware and getting regular updates,
including Android Nougat 7.0 within the next few months.
Design and Aesthetics
The design language follows Vernee Apollo Lite, but is just better.
This is a true man's phone, not the thinnest around, but it's a pure joy to hold and operate,
due to the small curve on the back and the textured metal body.
Devices like the Vernee Apollo just put even Xiaomi's flagship Mi5S to shame when it comes to build quality!
The 2K display won't win awards for the most saturated colours, but it's one of the most
accurate colour reproductions I have ever seen, on top of that it gets really bright,
so sunlight visibility is great.
accurate colour reproductions I have ever seen, on top of that it gets really bright,
so sunlight visibility is great.
With 2K res and a pixel density of 534ppi, it's an incredible feat at just 269$!
Software and User Interface
All Vernee devices run an absolutely stock version of Android, including an app-drawer
and just the very basic apps, so you won't find any Chinese apps or things you have to
uninstall from the first boot.
and just the very basic apps, so you won't find any Chinese apps or things you have to
uninstall from the first boot.
You can also see that the RAM, ROM and Android Version are the same!
The few additions here are the VR player that turn every movie or clip on your
device into a VR experience, so you can immerse yourself, wherever you want!
device into a VR experience, so you can immerse yourself, wherever you want!
The VR kit itself is pretty easy to use, just place the phone on the top,
strap it in and you're good to go!
strap it in and you're good to go!
I found out that VR games are just plain bad, so would stay away from
them, but movies and clips on youtube feel great.
Especially sky-diving and Jet Fighter piloting videos where really
immersive!
It was also very thoughtful of Vernee to include a BlueLight Filter
for those who like to read a lot of e-books on their phone.
for those who like to read a lot of e-books on their phone.
Vernee Apollo is just bursting with features out of the box!
PERFORMANCE AND BENCHMARKS
The Helio X25 is a 10-core(Deca-Core)chip and it handles all tasks thrown its way with
absolute ease!
Coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB of fast storage, it truly delivers a flagship package
at a great pricing point.
absolute ease!
Coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB of fast storage, it truly delivers a flagship package
at a great pricing point.
Antutu and Geekbench scores are super at that price point and a true
testament of Helio X25's potency.
testament of Helio X25's potency.
Gaming performance is also quite good, but the 2K display takes a slight toll
in the heaviest games with a few almost unnoticeable dropped frames.
in the heaviest games with a few almost unnoticeable dropped frames.
Still, Epic Citadel is close to 50FPS in Ultra High Quality, which guarantees
almost perfect playing conditions.
Regarding heat dissipation, the Vernee Apollo gets a bit warm when playing
for a longer period, but nothing disturbing and there's not throttling,
so performance stays the same. I did run 10 Epic Citadel tests back to back
and the score was the same on each one, so no throttling here.
almost perfect playing conditions.
Regarding heat dissipation, the Vernee Apollo gets a bit warm when playing
for a longer period, but nothing disturbing and there's not throttling,
so performance stays the same. I did run 10 Epic Citadel tests back to back
and the score was the same on each one, so no throttling here.
Battery life is great, thanks to the Helio X25's CPU Tri-cluster
that almost switches off in standby mode, so the Vernee Apollo
delivers great standby time, preserving battery life when you are not
using the phone.
that almost switches off in standby mode, so the Vernee Apollo
delivers great standby time, preserving battery life when you are not
using the phone.
As for screen-on-time the 2K display isn't that much of a drag, as I was
able to achieve 5hrs SoT on a single charge!
On top of that, the Fast-Charger provided gets you up to 100% in just and hour
and a half!
able to achieve 5hrs SoT on a single charge!
On top of that, the Fast-Charger provided gets you up to 100% in just and hour
and a half!
CAMERA REVIEW
Here is where most Chinese devices really disappoint, but Vernee Apollo does not!
The 22MP Sony Exmor IMX230 is a great shooting companion, as it delivers in
almost all circumstances!
Adding the 4K video recording to the mix is also an absolute feat at 269$.
The 22MP Sony Exmor IMX230 is a great shooting companion, as it delivers in
almost all circumstances!
Adding the 4K video recording to the mix is also an absolute feat at 269$.
The camera app is a standard MTK app, and here is where I think Vernee should
focus in the future with a few updates, as it lacks Slow-Motion recording and is just
not up to par at that price, but when it comes to the photos, they are just great.
FOR FULL SIZE IMAGES CHECH MY FLICKR PROFILE
focus in the future with a few updates, as it lacks Slow-Motion recording and is just
not up to par at that price, but when it comes to the photos, they are just great.
FOR FULL SIZE IMAGES CHECH MY FLICKR PROFILE
CONCLUSION
Vernee Apollo delivers on every promise it made and is a great phone to have if you are looking for all the features, but have a tight budget.Now, don't go expecting Samsung S7 Edge performance and camera, but what Vernee is offering for 1/3 of the price is very close. OnePlus 3 is around for 100$ more, but you do get an AMOLED display with a slightly better camera experience and more RAM, but no 2K Display and VR kit.
BUY VERNEE APOLLO WITH VR
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO REVIEW
