HUAWEI MatePad 12 X (2026) Review
When the Samsung Spica came out a few weeks back, I was surprised with the retail price of the handset. It one of the most affordable Android-powered smartphone in the market. We looked deeper into the Samsung i5700 before handing out the verdict.
At first glance, the Spica looked like most other candybar phones released by Samsung with that distinctive design. The navigation panel is a bit intricate that you’d either love it or hate it. The control pad actually has 7 buttons laid out and separated by curved lines (and that does not include the 4-way directional pad).
In hindsight, the physical controls are basically the same as that of the HTC Hero but because of the layout/design, using them is a bit confusing (it’s got to do more with the layout of the keys). You get used to it in time.
On the side — there’s a dedicated camera button on the right with a lock button on top of it while the volume rocker is on the left. The micro-USB port is on top beside the 3.5mm audio jack. The body is mostly made up of rubbery plastic back panel and brushed-metal finish in front. There are red accents on the OK button and the front speakers. It’s a little thick at 13.2mm but not really bulky on the hands.
The 3.2″ display screen isn’t the largest we’ve seen but enough for a touch screen phone. The display is nice with a bright and crisp resolution.
Like the Hero, the Spica also suffers a bit with the virtual keyboard that’s somewhat cramped. The individual keys are a little skinny in the vertical orientation but that changes when you switch to the landscape orientation.
The interface is the basic Android UI with 3 panels. Samsung did not bother to include a layer UI on top of it. It would have been nice to see some eye-candy, even if it’s just the TouchWiz UI.
The Spica is powered by Samsung’s very own 800MHz processor and as such, apps and others functions (like media playback, browsing) are pretty snappy. The Spica actually ranks #2 among the fastest Android smartphones locally available, next to the X10, if we based it clock-for-clock. Most of the time though, it feels like the two handsets perform at par with each other.
The Spica has Android 1.5 (Cupcake) pre-installed but, as of this time, you can actually have it upgraded to Android 2.1 (Eclair). That’s an added bonus which I think was key to the Spica’s growing popularity.
Connectivity isn’t an issue with the Samsung Spica — it’s got Bluetooth, WiFi 802.11 b/g, 3G/HSDPA and GPS. Like most other Android handsets, there’s no native 3G switch (there’s a Switchers widget that controls everything else) so you’ll have to install an app like APNdroid to control 3G connectivity on-the-fly. Not a big deal but first time users should take note of this.
The 3.2MP camera isn’t impressive but decent enough. There’s no built-in flash but at least it has auto-focus. Here’s one shot I managed to take with it (forget the 15fps video recording).
Off-topic: I have to say — taking a ride on this Audi R8 was a blast. Feels like I’m on a rocket ship will all that G-force pulling me back.
Battery life is expectedly normal (with the 1500mAh Li-Ion) for smartphones like the Spica — can do 2 days on casual connectivity use but can easily drain in a day with heavy use. I suggest bringing a spare cable charger with you all the time.
If there’s a noticeable disappointment with the Spica, I think it would be the amount of internal storage that came with it. The 180MB internal storage seems too small if you’re looking to install a ton of apps. For all other file storage concerns, you’ll have to separately invest in a microSD card. The unit I got only had 1GB with it but you can stick in up to 32GB if you have the extra cash.
Ok, then there’s no multi-touch support too even if you upgrade to v2.1 — not a deal-killer but certainly something you’d miss on a touchscreen phone (especially with Google Maps and Photo Gallery). At least it’s got some sort of haptic feedback so you feel some subtle vibrations when tapping keys or the dial pad.
All in all, the Samsung Spica i5700 is a one desirable smartphone, especially to those who will be getting their first ever Android handset. This is highlighted by the fact that its got the basic features of Android smartphones at a very affordable price (Php13,800 in some stores) — less than half the price of other Android phones of the same caliber. It’s got its fair share of shortcomings but it gets bonus points for being capable to upgrade to Eclair v2.1. Samsung should get some good karma for introducing this handset into the local market.
Disclosure: Globe Telecom gave me this handset for free and Samsung is an advertiser on this blog.
Apple, Asus, Cherry Mobile, Huawei, LG, Nokia, Oppo, Samsung, Sony, Vivo, Xiaomi, Lenovo, Infinix Mobile, Pocophone, Honor, iPhone, OnePlus, Tecno, Realme, HTC, Gionee, Kata, IQ00, Redmi, Razer, CloudFone, Motorola, Panasonic, TCL, Wiko
Best Android smartphones between PHP 20,000 - 25,000
Smartphones under PHP 10,000 in the Philippines
Smartphones under PHP 12K Philippines
Best smartphones for kids under PHP 7,000
Smartphones under PHP 15,000 in the Philippines
Best Android smartphones between PHP 15,000 - 20,000
Smartphones under PHP 20,000 in the Philippines
Most affordable 5G phones in the Philippines under PHP 20K
5G smartphones in the Philippines under PHP 16K
Zylo says:
🥉 Rookie🏆1
Huwaw astig ka sir Yuga! sa’kin na lang yan =D
Totem says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
Wow! Its spec is better than HTC Tattoo.. I might consider buying one prolly after 3 months.. And I’m hoping that Google won’t release a new Android sooner.. haha XD
Calvin says:
🥈 Silver🏆1
not including any UI on top of the OS must’ve slashed a lot from the price. other manufacturers should always include a basic smartphone without their proprietary UIs on top of the OS.
Jon says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
Having been a Symbian diehard for years now, I must say that it’s definitely worth the switch. And worth every peso to boot!
daddy joey says:
💎 Platinum🏆1
nice, ganda r8 mo pre! :D
Rickey says:
🥉 Rookie🏆1
Whew, I had to flash the Elcair 2.1 myself to this pda-phone bcoz Samsung did not offer such service at the time I bought it. (Of course, accepting the small but real risk of bricking it. Which it didn’t.) Don’t be contented with the version that’s originally provided with this device as it doesn’t run many new apps. Once u get Eclair on it though, it delivers! The spica itself is solid & decent, with very good battery life. Altho I wished they shipped with one extra battery & charger bcoz it is afterall a pda-multimedia-fon. I also wished they did away with those intrusive buttons on its sides. Android is the way to go. And Samsung just made it possible for u to experience it w/o shelling out so much.
Teknisyan says:
🥈 Silver🏆1
What can I say but “Nice car!!”!!! hehe.. uh oh.. nice handset and very affordable too!!!
RJ says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
Yeah!! And on May 19th (May 20th sa atin), Google will announce something on their Google I/O which many of us Android fans think would be the Froyo 2.2 update! :D Sana meron na rin for Samsung because this update will “supposedly” fix the issue with internal memory of phones. According to some blogs I read, the update will now let us install Android apps on the SD card! wweee!! :D
sylv3rblade says:
💠 Supremacy🏆1
Globe is offering the Spica for free via Globe Labs if you’re a member or know someone who’s a member (but you have to avail of a postpaid plan). Will be receiving my unit later today.
Kyle says:
🥉 Rookie🏆1
i was thinking about getting ether a spica or a tattoo…until I saw this
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_wildfire_announced_its_almost_a_mini_htc_desire-news-1663.php
For a budget phone, it practically kills everything else. I mean, an affordable HTC Desire? How can it go wrong?
lolipown says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
^
errm… 300 euro for a budget phone?
Abe Olandres says:
🥉 Rookie🏆3
@kyle – that’s around Php17,500
Kyle says:
🥉 Rookie🏆1
But given that its specs mostly match that of the Hero, that’s quite a huge price difference. Hero is @ 25k+ PHP as of now
Also if I remember correctly, the Tattoo launched in Singapore at $599(about 20k PHP) but it launched here at about 15k PHP. So expect it to launch here (if its launched at all :-P) at a tad cheaper price than what is initially announced :-)
rye says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
Hi Yuga, thanks for the review. atleast alam ko di ako mali ng decision. haha! Got my Spica (my 1st android phone) a few weeks back, and ako na nagflash immediately to Eclair. BTW, we Spica users are waiting for Froyo(2.2), rumors say that it’ll have flash and apps can be stored on the SD, so internal phone memory wont be a problem anymore. :)
Esomo says:
🥉 Bronze🏆1
Big big big disappointment is that Android doesn’t support system wide Internet proxy so don’t expect to be able to use it with your office wifi and proxy.
And it’s seems never included in Froyo also. Not recommended for business users.
Hays kainis…
kimmuel roa endaya says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
Haha…I love the disgression on the Audi car!!!
Lol…
-Sent via YugaTech Mobile App
kimmuel roa endaya says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
Digression pala…lol
-Sent via YugaTech Mobile App
Jon says:
🥉 Bronze🏆1
I hope this phone will get Froyo too. That’s a perfect work around for the insufficient internal memory without having to root.
Even so, this is still a great buy!
faultybiceps says:
🥉 Bronze🏆1
Can someone please send me instructions on how to activate GPRS using smart postpaid sim for my spica.
also for globe postpaid and prepaid (if there is a difference at all) if such is available.
Appreciate it mucho.
roiji says:
🥈 Silver🏆1
i currently own this phone and i love it <3
with android 1.5 ok naman siya.
but when i flashed it (Samsung NPS is useless!!) to asian firmware android 2.1 it better EXCEPT the home screen (Pantheon, Samsung's own home screen app) it really staggers.
I downloaded and installed LauncherPro it's a free Home Screen alternative and it's blazing fast. faster than HelixLauncher. and I'll uninstall Pantheon later.
Samsung utility software sucks…
idlewild says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
froyo has just been announced. hope this phone will still get the update. really love the improvements and new features they’re adding to the platform.
sylv3rblade says:
💠 Supremacy🏆1
I agree with rouji on the slowness of Pantheon. Will checkout launcherPro in a bit.
sylv3rblade says:
💠 Supremacy🏆1
Just installed LauncherPro. It’s beta but man! *Mindblown*
roiji says:
🥈 Silver🏆1
haha astig di ba?!
pwede pa siya sa landscape mode <3
sylv3rblade says:
💠 Supremacy🏆1
yah. I can only imagine how fast the final app is going to be with Froyo :)
jefbuan says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
Got mine at 10K..supersale here yahoooo,hope to have froyo soon on my spica
roiji says:
🥈 Silver🏆1
and where is “here” ?? hahaha
my aunt is wanting one :)
sylv3rblade says:
💠 Supremacy🏆1
Did I mention Globe gave my Spica to me for free? :D
sheepman says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
F**K! Is it just me or nobody here noticed the audi r8?!
Angie says:
🥈 Silver🏆1
Is this upgrade-able to future versions of Android? (2.2 up)
spicaboy says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
MAGKANO ang WILDFIRE?????
chuchay says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
can you sync your contacts to Outlook?
J.J says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
@jefbuan
san ka naka buy? Brand new ba yan?
Porpy says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
I’m really interested in this phone and I have just one question. I have a sun wireless broadband and I would like to use it on this phone. Is it possible to do so? Sorry I’m no techie.
gadgetsreview.info says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
owners of samsung spic i5700 any feedback pros cons?
roiji says:
🥈 Silver🏆1
pros:
a good value phone if you are starting android
included: gps, compass, accelerometer, wifi
the screen, even though TFT, is very BRIGHT and vibrant
android 2.1 firmware available now
the hardware directional buttons is very useful for editing text
cons:
hardware qwerty keyboard
not good in 3D gaming.. the 800Mhz proc is not powerful enough for 3D rendering!
samsung pantheon home screen software
updating with bundles software is a pain (instead, use ODIN and flash with official samsung firmware or bring to samsung shop)
no flash or led light
little RAM for apps
speaker is not as loud as nokia’s but loud enough
almed22 says:
🥉 Bronze🏆1
this would be really great if it had multi-touch! but still it has a pretty great price for an android phone. The Philippines is a really great consumer for samsung and i hope they would release the Samsung Galaxy S here too. sana mura din!! mga 15-20k ok na!! ka c yung htc 20-30k kpag bibili k ng unlocked!
operacreed says:
🥉 Bronze🏆1
funny but i got my spica 3 weeks ago and the price had gone down from 13800 to 13300. had to upgrade it to 2.1 on the same day that 2.2 was launched. The spica was the right entry level android phone for a dual citizen like me (Filipino and Senior…. joke).
now galaxy s is being considered by all 4 major US carriers with AT&T showing major interest. Once that becomes available here, then my spica will end up with my granddaughter who is aching for a Corby.
I downloaded launcherpro as suggested by kind souls above and am having a blast.
To the people who keep this blog alive, my compliments.
glennrey says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
i just hope that the spica can be upgraded to 2.2 OS if that happens then i have nothing more to ask on this phone.
also try downloading other keyboard app as the one that is included is pretty Jurassic IMO
operacreed says:
🥉 Bronze🏆1
any news about availabilty of HTC EVO 4G in the Phils. When is the launched and for how much? And what store outlet? TY
adam says:
💠 Supremacy🏆1
yes, spica is really cheap as compared to this Nokia N900 that my office mate bought.Nokia N900: one of the best smartphone
hp battery dell says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
So good …i like the Samsung Spica i5700….plan to buy one…:)
operacreed says:
🥉 Bronze🏆1
Guess i have to stick it out it Samsung with the launch of the Galaxy S.
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=581373&publicationSubCategoryId=73
http://galaxys.samsungmobile.com/
@ hp battery: Cancel you plans for the entry level spica. “So good” yet so late but an excellent Android starter phone.
There is so much to learn with the new OS which by the way, enhances and complements one’s Google experience.
There has been no significant Symbian upgrades from Nokia; thus, something really new from Android is worth trying.
Ever wonder why Globe pulled a fast one on Smart with Spica?
lolipown says:
💠 Supremacy🏆1
@rouji
hardware qwerty keyboard -> lack thereof?
roiji says:
🥈 Silver🏆1
The lack pf a qwerty key oard makea it a con.
Yes, I typed that statement on my spica right now without editing.
I have big fingers and left handed. O appears sometimes when pressing/tapping P.
But what is really helpful here is the directional buttons :)
lolipown says:
💠 Supremacy🏆1
ah..
makes sense now :)
idlewild says:
🥈 Silver🏆1
@glennrey, there is hope for a 2.2 update for i5700:
http://twitter.com/SamsungFirmware/status/15702491976
ilham says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
thanks for information
new galaxy spica witha Eclair(2.1)
Bryan Zarzuela says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
I’ve got the Spica for over a week now and these bugs suck:
1. If WiFi is on, the camera images are dark.
2. The Camera doesn’t stick the correct orientation EXIF tag regardless of how you shot the photo (portrait or landscape)
kewlits says:
🌱 Noobs🏆1
got one free from globe..its a nice phone, already downloaded lots of apps at the market. Firmware version is 2.1
@roiji, though i am right handed, but i have big fingers too, but comparing it to iphone when typing using the qwerty pad,im more much convenient using the samsung than iphone.
I hope somebody can develop a numeric keypad, for those who are used to in typing sms using the standard key pad