UMi Rome Hands on

UMIadmin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR7xmDbwGE4

The Chinese brand Umi has recently presented a new device, the Umi Rome, a new budget device that will cost only $89.

With this new device, UMi have kept their promise of a tough build, without sacrificing good design, all the while maintaining a low cost. The UMi Hammer S incorporates high end features such as USB Type-C not normally associated with devices costing less than $100.

When getting a UMi Rome in your hand, the first thing you will notice is its elegant design, with a frame made of metal, which gives us the feeling of being using a device with a higher price. Despite being made of metal, the device is not at all heavy, weighing only 177 grams including battery.

Design and build of the UMi Rome are far better than everyone would expect from a Chinese smartphone costing just $89. Looking around the edges of the phone, you will discover the usual features, such as power button or speakers, the new connectivity standard which is currently used on high-end devices such as OnePlus 2.

UMi Rome chassis has a similar curve to it as the UMi Hammer S or the Xiaomi Mi Note, wrapping the rear edges around, what makes this device feel very comfortable in the hand. The chassis is machined to a through 100 processes, in order to give it a smooth finish, similar to high-end devices.

At the rear of this device, we can find a 13-megapixel Sony IMX179 sensor, accompanied by a dual LED flash, an unusual feature for a phone of this price. The UMi Rome also incorporates a front camera and a front LED flash, ideal to shoot selfies.

Speaking of the screen, the glass panel has a 2.5D glass curve to it for a nice smooth transition. The panel incorporates AMOLED technology, a feature usually found on high-end devices, and that will help users to improve their battery consumptions.

UMi Rome key features

•    89$
•    MT6753 Octa-core 3GB RAM
•    5.5 inch AMOLED 2.5D screen
•    7.9mm Ultra slim Metal frame
•    Front Flash LED + Dual Rear flash LED
•    13mp SONY IMX 179
  
  

How to win a UMi Rome for free

UMi is now giving a chance to win a free UMi Rome. All you need to do in order to participate is visiting UMi official website www.umidigi.com and play a mini game. The instructions to participate are the following:

BingoBronson

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Received my UMI Rome today. Build quality is absolutely ok for the low price.
Yes, the battery compartment has only a thin adhesive foil taped over the "flex cables", I don't see a problem here, it's functional.

Metal frame and chassis in general looks very clean, clearance between parts is also very precise, no complaints here. Maximum brightness is good, replaced the screen protector used for shipping with the actual one included in the delivery.

The 2 point touch makes it feel sluggish some times, because the display obviously has trouble with fast (multiple) input rates. No backlit buttons, just engraved, but we already knew that.

The device comes pre-rooted with SuperSU 2.46 installed, running on almost stock Android 5.1 (plus your usual MTK & engineer tools ^^).
"Launcher3" is used as the default launcher, replace it with your own favorite.

I updated to SuperSu 2.49 Pro and installed it as a system app. Busybox was already installed.

edit: Android System WebView needs to be updated manually. Google Maps test with tilting and rotating the map worked well for the most part, that brave little touch screen is doing the best he can.

teocelinscak

Acciaio replied at 2015-12-23 05:18
I received yesterday.
My first impressions aren't so good : 2 only points touch. Very,very poor GPS ...

In what country do you live? If you are from Russia, then  GLONASS does not work on UMI Rome, and if you're from America, then these do not support 850MHz 4G. Have to take account on where is your (4G) channel operator because in Russia there are some cases that are not usual channels. For such things you must always pay attention before you buy Chinese mobile phones !! Carefully read the specifications of certain chips, as the support of certain substances depends on them.

DANIBOY77

great !

sconandroid

The connector seem normal micro USB, It don't seem that is micro USB Type-C. Do Can you confirm that connector has the UMI Rome?

BingoBronson

sconandroid replied at 2015-11-28 03:02
The connector seem normal micro USB, It don't seem that is micro USB Type-C. Do Can you confirm that ...

Ofc. it's a regular micro USB 2.0.
The UMI Hammer S has USB 3.0 type C, as mentioned in the text.

Hazedx

Is the battery of umi rome removable ?
can installed app move to external sd card?

BingoBronson

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budzian

Does UMI Rome support screen mirroring?

gondar

hi, does umi rome have OTG support ?

Angel_UMI

Hi,

UMI Rome doesn't support OTG and yes, battery is removable

sconandroid

BingoBronson replied at 2015-11-28 19:00
Ofc. it's a regular micro USB 2.0.
The UMI Hammer S has USB 3.0 type C, as mentioned in the text.
...

Thanks for your answer ;-)