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Phone Review: Unboxing Kata i4

Unboxing Kata i4

“So what’s Kata and where is it from?”
That’s the first question 75% of my friends asked when I flashed out this phone. The other 25%? They asked me how is the camera function of the phone and if it’s better in comparison with iPhone, Xiaomi and Samsung.

Rewinding, do take some time to watch the quick unboxing Kata i4 video I did with my tech geek friend, Pingerrain!

Now, here’s a detailed review of the new mobile phone launched just 2 weeks ago on 13th February 2015!

Kata i4 Review by an iPhonographer

But a quick disclaimer before you start reading my phone review, I’m a greenhorn in this area, and this is my first official + serious + full phone review, although this is my truthful review, it will be quite layman compared to all the professional tech reviews you get out there! P.S. I don’t understand half the terms when I try reading all those tech reviews out there, so I can’t really imitate their style!

kata i4 unboxingAs mentioned in the video, the package includes: USB Cable | USB Power Adapter (US) | Headset | Kata i4 Smartphone | Warranty Card (1 year) | Safety instructions

Design
Kata i4: 144.5mm x 71.5mm x 6.5mm (161g)
iPhone 6: 138.1mm x 67.0mm x 6.9mm (129g)
iPhone 6+: 158.1mm x 77.8mm x 7.1mm (172g)
kata i4 vs iphone 6If you’ve seen the Unboxing video or the previous image, you will see that the packaging of Kata i4 resembles iPhone 6/6+. The black back cover is matt with shiny silver embossed logo. While the iPhone 6 has a more rounded and smooth corners, the Kata i4 felt more like an iPhone 4/5 by touch where the sides are angular. Despite the sleek design, the phone was (more than once) mistaken as another version of Xiaomi.

Display Quality
Kata i4: 5.0 inch Super HD Display (1280 x 720) | Android 4.4. KitKat | MTK 6592 1.7 Ghz Octa Core | 2GB RAM + 32 GB Storage
iPhone 6: 4.7 inch Retina HD display (1334 x 750) | iOS 8 | A8 chip, M8 motion coprocessor | 16GB, 64GB, 128GB
iPhone 6+: 5.5 inch Retina HD display (1920 x 1080) | iOS 8 | A8 chip, M8 motion coprocessor | 16GB, 64GB, 128GB
kata i4 speakersKata i4 displays clear HD images and videos are also very clear. They have a 32GB internal storage with 2GB RAM. thus there shouldn’t be any problems if you need load and store large-size documents and applications. As compared to iPhone’s free 5GB iCloud storage, KataCloud gives an additional 35GB cloud storage.
The speakers, located at the back of the phone (iPhone’s speakers are at the bottom of the phone) give a slight base when it is at the maximum volume. Good or bad? Depending on your preference!

Internet & Connectivity | SIM Slot | Battery
Kata i4: Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n | micro-SIM | 2300mAh
iPhone 6/6+: Wi‑Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | nano-SIM | Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
kata i4 micro simConnection to internal Wi-Fi wasn’t as stable as my iPhone 5S when I was trying to connect to my friend’s home internet to play the same Youtube video from both phones. While iPhone was able to connect faster, Kata i4 had intermittent pauses during the video.
Kata i4 has a built-in 2300mAh rechargeable lithium-polymer battery and can be charged via power adapter or USB to computer system. I did a quick battery-charging test with both Kata i4 and iPhone 6 charged via USB to my MacBook Pro and after 30 minutes, Kata i4 battery increased by 9% while iPhone 6 by 18%. I’m not quite sure if Kata i4 being an Android is losing out by connecting to an Apple laptop, but that’s the stats. At the very least, the Kata phone is lasting longer than my iPhone 5S!

Camera
Kata i4: 16MP Rear, 8MP Front
iPhone 6/6+: 8 MP (iSight camera with 1.5µ pixels) Rear + 1.2 MP Front
Kata i4’s camera has 6 modes for user to choose from: multi-angle view mode, panorama mode, face beauty mode, motion track mode, live photo mode and normal mode.

They also provide the choice of 7 image size (1M 4M 6M 9.5M 12M 13M 16M). Like most android phones, Kata definitely offers a more extensive range of camera modes as compared to the fuss-free iPhone, which of course comes in handy only if you have the time to play around with the modes. Here’s the top 3 handy functions I like about Kata i4!

kata i4 gesture capture modeJust based on the numbers, it seems like Kata i4 is way better. But the android phone does not have a side camera shutter, and given that it is slightly bigger than my palm, I had difficulty handling the camera before I discover the magic V function!. Kata provide the “peace-sign gesture capture” function which allows ‘wefies’ to be taken on a 3 second countdown!

kata i4 panoramaThe panorama function of the camera requires the user to pause, match the dotted arrow to the blue arrow before continuing (see circled image). While you get black areas for iPhone if you don’t follow the arrows carefully, with Kata, the image might turn out blurred or the panorama function wouldn’t even work if you don’t match the blue arrow to the dotted arrow.

kata i4 BEAUTY MODEHere comes my favourite part of the phone: Face Beauty Mode! There’s three levels (Low, Medium, High) of adjustments for each option: Wrinkle Removal, Whiten and Shape. I had fun watching numerous friends take selfies (with the Face Beauty Mode secretly switched on to the highest level) and get a shock out of their lives when they saw how the faces became like “alien” or should I say “anime”? (see below)
kata i4 beauty mode wefiesThe hilarious part was how they told me that the beauty function was too exaggerating but yet requested for me to send them the photos!

Conclusion:
32GB Kata i4: SGD$358 versus 16GB iPhone 6/6+: SGD$988/1148
With the one-third the price, Kata i4 is indeed an enticing phone for anyone who doesn’t like the iTunes-syncing or the iCloud storing functions, or is not willing to spend a four-figure sum on a phone. What’s more, you get the best of both worlds with nice aesthetic design that resembles an iPhone and with an Android system!

kata i4 tiffanyyongwtP.S. My eyes are NOT digital enlarged here.
The downside will be the lack of colour choices (Gold, Blue or Pink?) and it is also difficult to get a phone casing for the Kata i4! When I have it in my bag, I’m constantly worried if it’s being scratched and squashed (or bend!) by my laptop, notebooks and makeup bag. I’m not planning to put the Kata i4 through the bend test but it’s still in good condition after “suffering” in my bag for the past 2 weeks! There were slight lags once in a while if I try to operate different applications

I will recommend this phone for anyone who wants to get for themselves or their parents a big-screen and affordable phone to play, at the same time, they get to show-off to their friends that they are in trend and using smartphones too (Yes, my parents do that!).

Well, I might have been tempted half a year ago, but now that I’ve gotten my MacBook Pro (see experience here), nothing can make me convert now (Almost + For now!). I welcome all brands to send me their phones and challenge me though! Hahaha, I’m curious to see which brand and model is able to make me convert too!

If you want to see more of the photos users of Kata i4 has taken, just check out #Katai4

For more information, do check out:
Kata Digital
Official Website | Kata Singapore Facebook Page
Kata Service Center: 1 Irving Place #02-26, The Commerze @ Irving, Singapore 369546
Contact Number: +65 6702-7997
Online Purchase: Lazada.sg or Amazon.com
Retail Outlet: Lucky Plaza

xoxo
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Special Thanks to: Priscilla Yeo from Pingerrain.com for helping with the Unboxing Video!
Disclaimer: Please be rest assured that even though the product was sponsored, it does not have any bearing on the content of this post. Opinions stated are genuine and honest. Also note that all sources, information, content, links are valid to change at any time.

39 thoughts on “Phone Review: Unboxing Kata i4”

  1. Having read about the warning on the problematic WiFi issue, I have decided to go for proven Apple iPhone 6S Plus. Also there are no 4G in the entire Kata range.

  2. don’t buy the phone. no service centre in singapore. just went to get my phone repaired. nope no repair and just lots of diss. kata can’t take criticism and nope their service centre in tai seng closed down within half a year. and u forgot to mention that there is no LTE for the i4. better to get a xiaomi with that price seriously

  3. How dare to compare with an iPhone. Kata should resolve first the issue in wifi connectivity. I regret the day I bought this phone that gives a lot of headaches!

  4. did you get any wifi problem with kata i4? like signal loss/authentication problem. just bought mine few days ago and keeps on having this wifi issue

    1. just recently got my own kata i4 phone is okay however when i am trying to use the wifi aspect i am also having the issue about signal loss and authentication problem. I informed kata website hk and i got a reply that i need to make sure that i have the correct password and it is case sensitive. okay even though i am adept about wifi since i work in a bpo industry and happened to be in the wifi support i am following their advice that i should check that i have the correct password and it should be case sensitive i ticked the show password and still i am getting an error message “connecting” and then “authentication problem” and after that it goes to saved secured with wpa/wpa2 and thats it no connectivity at all

    2. Hay Naku Kata..

      Hi guys, we are all same dilemma when it come to wifi issue. I bought this piece of crap and returned to their main office in Starmall a day after, after 2 weeks they replace the unit, still same problem that I have encountered, faltering wifi connection an most of the time no connectivity at all. I highly suggest, DON’T BUY THIS LOW QUALITY PHONE, IT WILL BRING HEADACHES TO YOU!!

  5. Daphne Benosa (@dafnyduck)

    I’m not a very techie person but I appreciate that you compared the product with an iPhone. Since I’m an iPhone owner I could easily understand your descriptions.

    1. Hi Daph, you got a best phone ever! Don’t dare to buy this no-wifi dumb phone, you will lose 10k and it gives you more headaches, I told you..

  6. I’m really no fan of high-end phones but I’m trying an iPhone 4 right now and, well, I guess I’m just happy being able to install so many apps. (Although many of them are useless since I don’t have mobile data.) I love the Face Beauty Mode in this phone though. It seems quite a lot of fun to use.

  7. I love the premium features of this mobile phone, its design is also very stylish and classy and I would love to have such one as well! Love the pics you took with it!

  8. i knew it was only a matter of time before we get cellphones that challenge us to do amazing things with our faces and provide a few new features. This looks quite good.

  9. From your review, it really sounds like a great steal. Sure, the camera is still better with iPhone, but I love the comical essence of the Beauty function of your Kata i4. Your friends do have extra big eyes!

  10. Conclusion: you’re recommending this for everyone. Your review speaks the best of it. But you fail to disclose its price. Is this offered for free? Of course, not. Isn’t it?

    1. Hi tumandok, for more than once, in both the video and in the blog, I’ve mentioned that this phone is selling at $358 on Lazada and Amazon. At least four times I think. Thanks for concluding the article.

  11. Raymond Vasquez

    I think it’s a great phone a cheaper greater phone! What’s really important in a phone is that it’s functional. Features are useless if not used by the owner of the phone. 😀

  12. Wow, I had never even heard of this phone. But OMG those graphics! Those are incredible. I just got myself a brand new Samsung Galaxy S3, but I think I should have went with one of these instead! I’m lovin on that beauty mode, too! I could have some SERIOUS fun with that! 😛

  13. What an awesome looking phone! I have always been a Samsung lady – I find the camera is so much better. The iPhone 6 looks huge in comparison to the previous iPhone versions! Sim x

  14. This is a great phone for a first time smart phone user. The size is great plus the design looks clean. I’m an apple fan and I’ll stick to my iPhone6. This would be a great gift to someone though.

  15. omg, the beauty mode is pretty horrible, no offence. overkill already! i’ll still stick to my samsung galaxy. heh! eyeing A5. or note edge….

  16. martha preston (@marthapreston4)

    I believe you did amazing on your first review you let me know all about with out sounding to biased which is great

  17. Looks good but the phone camera specs are not up to my liking. There are also cheap phones out there with much better camera specs than these. My phone is not expensive (maybe same range as this Kata), but my camera is 18MP, with front camera of 8MP. – Fred

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