Classic Walton: Primo RX4 Review

It is no secret that we have reviewed our fair share of Walton devices and as such we have a certain level of expectation from the company’s products. Their Primo RX4 is one such device that meets those expectations and ticks all the boxes when it comes to a product costing Tk/- 13,900.

Design

The design is pretty self explanatory by now. We have seen a lot of glass-metal sandwich devices and even a handful from Walton itself therefore this time we want to keep this part sweet and simple. The design is obviously premium and looks beautiful – in fact almost all glass-metal sandwich devices do. We have the typical annoyances of a fingerprint magnet due to the use of DragonTrail glass on the back and Gorilla Glass 3 on the front but by now most everyone has become accustomed to wiping their device for this. The metal frame features diamond cut chamfered edges on either side and as usual, these look brilliant under a good light source.

All the cutouts on the metal are nice and clean, showing the effects of good craftsmanship. The camera and single LED flash are flush with the back so we don’t need to worry about it getting damage with everyday use unlike most modern day flagships. The small speaker grill is housed on the device’s rear and sounds pretty good even though it is the least preferred position to place the speaker.With a 5 inch display and flat sides, the device is easy to hold in one hand and is not slippery.

Display

The RX4 has an HD (720p) Pure Black IPS display. We have already seen this panel in action on the Primo S4 and are pleased to report that performance of the display is equally great. The display’s maximum brightness was not as high as expected but was still good enough to read outdoors.

The lower end of the brightness spectrum is pretty good on the other hand and should not bother anyone who enjoys reading things in the dark. The fact that the display is reflective made recording it a bit difficult for us but that will not hinder any potential buyers. Colour reproduction is also very nice and contrast on the screen is excellent. The Pure Black IPS technology is to thank for this.

Camera

A 13MP camera with a BSI sensor is used on the RX4 whilst the front facing camera is a 5MP unit. The camera interface is one that we are very familiar with and is pretty standard in terms of features and controls. What we are actually concerned about is the image quality and Walton delivers the same performance that we have seen from them in the past. The main camera is quick to take photos and renders them in good detail and with good accuracy. Colours are represented very nicely but sometimes whites become overexposed. The HDR mode does a good job at bringing out details in images with shadows but requires you stay still for a few seconds.

The selfie camera was also great. Details came out very nicely and the included beauty mode does a decent job too. As the unit is 5MP, pictures taken with the selfie camera are great for uploading onto social media and will definitely satisfy even the most critical selfie queen.

Performance

Inside the RX4 is a 1.4GHz octa-core MediaTek processor. The device includes 2GB RAM, a Mali 450 GPU, 16GB ROM (user accessible 12.18GB) and a 2,500mAh battery. Storage can be expanded up to 32GB with a microSD card as well.

Let’s cut to the chase, the RX4 can run Modern Combat 5 smoothly and only encounters slowdown when there are too many characters on the screen (even then it is now a severe slowdown, just minor). Now that you know how well the RX4 can handle MC5, you should stop worrying about its performance – the RX4 easily gets the job done and will handle the intense games you will throw at it.

We tested NFS: No Limits, Riptide GP 2  and Asphalt 8 on the device as well and all these titles ran without a hitch. Multitasking with the 2GB of RAM is an easy job and opening and closing applications is rapid too.

The 2,500mAh battery did its job and lasted through an entire day of heavy use. The capacity will not get you through more than a day as you end up with about 20-30% charge at 10pm. Nevertheless all smartphones require overnight charging and this is no different.

Software

On the software side, we have a near stock experience of Android 5.1 Lollipop with support for OTA updates. The launcher is the only aspect of the device that is not stock. The main difference is that app icons have a rounded border around them and the app drawer does not have the characteristic white material background. The launcher does not have much to offer in terms of customization but that has never been an issue with Android – a platform which is praised for its infinite customization options. Other than that every aspect of the device looks and feels like Lollipop. Animations are smooth and buttery with very little to no stutters in between.

Conclusion

Overall, the Primo RX4 is yet another product from Walton that demonstrates that the company knows what it is doing. At Tk/- 13,990 (online price Tk/-13,291) Walton has produced a good looking product that also feels premium and functions in a similar way. The great build quality, camera, high performance level and Lollipop make up a soup of things that consumers look for in a mobile handset. The only thing that remains to be seen now is how Walton differentiates the next product in the Primo RX line. To find out, subscribe to our YouTube channel and check in to Techetron everyday.