We tried the new QMobile Noir Z12 smartphone and here is our full review
QMobile Noir Z12 Review
At last, we are ready to offer the review of QMobile Z12.
For those unfamiliar with the smartphone, remember that we are talking about a unibody terminal which sees its strengths in materials more than the hardware. The aluminum body and minimal thickness make it particularly elegant, while the technical characteristics are definitely not top of the range, but are still attractive, as evident in the specs sheet below.
NOTE: Qmobile is now definitely a well-known brand for its smartphones often characterized by powerful batteries. The company initially made its way in the entry-level smartphones, but now looks all geared up to present many powerful devices. And Noir Z12 is a clear example of how the company is working in this direction.
Specifications
Here are the key Specs of QMobile Noir Z12:
For detailed specs click here:
| QMobile Noir Z12 | |
|---|---|
| Display | 5.3 inches AMOLED display 1080 x 1920 pixels, 416ppi Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Processor | 1.3 GHz Octa-core, Mediatek MT6753 |
| GPU | Mali-T720MP3 |
| RAM | 3GB |
| Storage | 32GB |
| MicroSD | Yes, up to 128GB |
| Camera | 13MP rear camera, LED flash, Auto Focus, Face detection, HDR 5MP front camera |
| Software | Android V5.1 Lollipop |
| Battery | 3150mAh, non-removable |
| Dimensions | 151.9 x 74.6 x 6.9 mm 147g |
| Click here for detailed specs of QMobile Noir Z12 |
As anticipated, QMobile Noir Z12 is available in Pakistan for a month now. It is available in other parts of the worlds only through imports but, as we know, more and more outsiders are also looking with curiosity at Pakistani devices.
Among QMobile Noir Z12’s most interesting features which are definitely worth to mention include 5.5-inch AMOLED screen with HD resolution protected by Gorilla Glass 3, 64-bit Octa Core 1.3 GHz processor, 3 GB RAM and 32 GB of internal memory expandable up to 128GB with MicroSD. Well, Not bad!
Let’s see QMobile Noir Z12 in detail.
Materials and Design
QMobile Noir Z12 is really very thin, made of metal, very elegant and beautiful. At just 6.5mm of thickness, one can hold it comfortably at any angle. The back has a “matte” finish and of course, as usual, we can find the camera with the LED flash on the rear panel along with the Qmobile logo at the center. Even the glossy coating that we see on the sides provides the smartphone with a lot of elegance and a premium look.
Below we find the C USB port and speakers, positioned symmetrically with respect to the USB. At the top we see a 3.5mm audio jack, while on the left we have a slot for the SIM. The power and volume buttons are located on the right side.
In addition to the 5.5-inch screen, the front panel is loaded with various sensors with front camera and 3 capacitive buttons at the bottom that are backlit.
Overall, as anticipated, the design is definitely one of the strengths of QMobile Noir Z12
Display
The Display of QMobile Noir Z12 is 5.5 inches, but SUPER AMOLED HD and not FullHD, protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and occupies 77.8% of the front surface.
We would certainly have loved a FullHD display on a smartphone of this Genre: being just HD is not bad also, the colors are beautiful and well reproduced (all thanks to AMOLED Screen), but a FullHD panel would have been better.
The Q Mobile touch response is always immediate and accurate and viewing angles are really good.
Software
QMobile Noir Z12 mounts Android 5.1.1 Lollipop OS with custom Amigo 3.1 UI. Compared to the previous version QMobile Noir Z10, it does not provide a decent change in OS department: there are more home screens to customize and as on every other modern smartphone of the day, there is no app drawer (the typical iPhone / Huawei style in short). The notification center does not present the quick toggles to change the system settings on the fly: these are accessible via a swipe from the bottom of the home screen though, like on iOS.
The interface, in general, is clean, clear and elegant with little customization options of themes and icons, but we can always change the theme via any theme launcher app available on play store and then download new themes.
An interesting feature of QMobile Noir Z12 is the Chameleon mode: as the name indicates, we can change the color settings and other options in the phone by simply selecting any one color with the camera. For example, just open the Chameleon app, aim it at any object having a color that you like and viola! now you have the same combination of colors all over the smartphone menu. Not essential, but an appreciable feature.
Noir Z12 by QMobile does not happen to be missing any of the most useful gestures: double tap to wake up and sleep, smart brightness, smart answer, and all others functions that we now can enjoy on any top-notch smartphones in the market. Another useful feature is the ability to draw any preset pattern on the screen to launch apps on the fly without even turning on the display.
System manager allows you to clean and clear the cache, manage installed apps and restrict or control the data traffic. Also useful for parents, restricting your kids so that they can use your smartphone without damaging your personal files.
QMobile Noir Smartphone also comes pre-installed with other apps like Du Battery, TouchPal, 360 Security, WPS, and office.
We can not tell anything yet about the Android 6.0 update, will it even arrive?
Performance
Loaded with a powerful hardware (1.3Ghz processor MediaTek MT6753 Octa Core 64-bit, 3GB RAM, GPU Mali-T720MP3) We expected an excellent performance from QMobile Noir Z12 and We must tell you were not disappointed. Overall the response was very good: the smartphone always acted fast, smooth,without any lag or block. Performance is also very good while multitasking or playing the latest and heavy games.
Out of the 32GB of internal memory, we only get 25GB as available user storage.
Call quality seemed very good. The smartphone is dual SIM, but if you want to us the second SIM, you’ can no longer use the MicroSD card. Well that’s totally upto you, your phone, your choice.
The speaker is powerful enough and the sound is not bad at all: I mean We’ve heard smartphones that play better but this is not bad either so we just can’t complain about the audio speaker of QMobile Noir Z12.
As anticipated, the games work fine and the processor also does not heat up much.
Camera
With regards to the camera, we have a 13mp sensor from the back and one 5mp the front. The camera software offers much settings for you to customize advanced shots: there is also a PRO mode that allows you to manually act on the white balance, exposure, opening time, ISO, focus, and more. Interesting Magic Focus mode allows you to change the focus on the subject after the picture is taken. Overall, the camera interface is good and we have many options and features to shoot.
Regarding the performance of the Camera, good, but not excellent: in Sunlight or with good lighting conditions the photos are pretty good (a little too saturated in some cases), while in the dark or low light photos become a bit filled with noise . Let’s say that the camera sensor is a bit weak point of the smartphone: competitors like Vibe X3 and E4 snap better in this department.
The front 5MP camera of QMObile goes fine for selfies: the photos are of excellent quality.
Noir Z12 also records video in Full HD 1080p: these are of good quality, but certainly not Epic.
Battery
QMobile Z12 packs a 3150 mAh battery so with moderate use you can use your smartphone for more than 24 hours without any problem. With heavy usage however, we just happen to manage 12 hours without having to depend on the battery charger.
In case of need however, You can turn on battery saving mode of QMobile Noir Z12 to manage the energy saving and increase the battery life upto a few hours.
Conclusion
As anticipated, QMobile Noir Z12 is a great device considering the looks, gaming performance, and battery. But for 23,300 Rupees it is probably a bit expensive. At this price there are some better options available in the market, But It’s also worth mentioning that the materials and design used in Z12 is not available anywhere in this price and that makes the difference..
Missing the presence of a FullHD display, NFC support (absent) and fingerprint sensor.
Apart from that, QMobile Noir Z12 is a win win, you can really jump at it with your eyes closed. Noir Z12 is available in gold, silver and rose gold colors.