The Smart Ultra 6 phone is back down to £100 on Vodafone's web site. Choose "Keep your existing Vodafone SIM" when checking out.
[I don't know whether it's that price in-store. If it is, Quidco are doing 3% in-store cashback so you could potentially get £3 cashback if you activate that offer before visiting. EDIT: Never mind, it seems in-store cashback isn't paid for PAYG handsets anyway...]
5.5 inch 1080x1920 screen
13mp auto focus camera
5mp front camera
Snapdragon 615 processor (Up to 1.7 GHz octa-core)
3000 mah battery
- montana78
SIM unlock will NOT void your warranty!!
Unlocking can also refer to Bootloader (rooting) and would void it (though they can't always tell) :)
- mrew42
Top comments
RebTheRebel
12 Nov 1512#11
Just replying on mine right now. Have to admit I'm normally a more pricey kind of guy when it comes to phones, but I've had this one now since the £99 deal a couple of months a go and I love it. Ridiculous value for the price. Yes the camera isn't the best but can be improved with other camera apps. I have the silver and white one and it looks really good. Smart looking. I'd also highly recommend the S-Style cases that can be bought on eBay for about £2. I usually hate the look of those cases but the clear one on mine looks brilliant and adds that tiny little extra cushioning against any bumps. Fantastic phone.
preecey
15 Nov 1511#341
OK, so I got one of these for my dad and have had the opportunity to play with it for a while before giving it to him. After setting it up and installing all the apps he may need, here are my findings:
Pros:
• Amazing display. My god, it is excellent. Very high resolution, excellent viewing angles, easy to view in direct sunlight, can get very bright if desired.
• Very nearly a stock Android Lollipop experience. Apart from the pre installed Vodafone apps which can be easily uninstalled or disabled.
• Relatively speedy. Handles demanding tasks such as Google Earth quite well, although the occasional stutter was noticed.
• Sturdy and well built. The phone doesn't creak or flex at all and feels solid in the hand.
• Good speaker performance. Contrary to what a lot of people are saying, I found the loudspeaker to be perfectly acceptable.
• Very bright flashlight
• Very good battery life, even while using demanding applications. I was able to obtain 4.5 hours of screen on time under very heavy continuous use. This is something that cannot be achieved using my iPhone 6
Cons:
• It gets hot under demanding use. The top rear part of the phone can get quite warm when using Google Earth or demanding games
• Very slight lag can be observed in the animations, such as when pulling down the notifications menu - but nothing of any great concern
• The camera. Although very decent in good lighting conditions, it does suffer indoors in low light. You really do need to hold it very still to avoid camera shake. I have tried several camera apps such as the one preinstalled, 'A Better Camera' and Google Camera. All of which produce similar results but 'A Better Camera' has far more options.
I found that you can take pictures using the volume up key using Google Camera and A Better Camera but not the preinstalled camera application. Taking photos using the volume up key helped to prevent camera shake in low light conditions.
• No Sky Go compatibility due to Miracast being enabled permanently. EDIT: Apparently this no longer is this case and several people have managed to get it working!
Overall, despite its minor drawbacks, I found it to be exceptional value for money. The quality of the screen is its main selling point and I will definitely recommend it.
wellhellothere
12 Nov 1511#38
Unlock is just over £3 on Ebay, used it for mine, no problem.
Nokia 3310 was a flagship too, doesn't mean it's better
Latest comments (431)
Buckar00
27 Dec 15#429
I bought this for my mum for Xmas, unlocked it, added giff gaff SIM,, big problem is how to send and receive text.messages, the Vodafone tab says can't send messages as its for Vodafone users only, can't find any other generic messages system, so do I have to download and app? cheers
chocci to Buckar00
27 Dec 151#430
Try a different messaging app. I recommend textra .
I had the same problem, but figured out that if I went to App settngs and disabled the red Messenger+ app with the red icon, I could use the Messenger app with the BLUE icon for text messages no problem. Easy.
Thanks op gone ahead and bought and unlocked as temp phone while busted g4 at LG. Got to say I'm truly impressed the screen looks better than silly quantum dot thing on lg it isn't as snappy but very responsive and camera is a bit crap part from that for 115 couldn't be happier!
Got the Ultra 6 today and latest android update installed fine and sky go works.
Just a question is there anyway to change the theme on the phone and can anyone recommend any good launcher interface apps
Also any recommend tweaks I should make or change to settings
hasj2 to chrisb1357
19 Dec 15#425
Nova Launcher, it was just on sale a wee while ago but you missed that, still worth it as its very customisable.
there is also Google Now Launcher which is free
Marnisa
17 Dec 15#423
Is the sim working continuously well in another phone? Maybe you need a new sim? I am using TalkTalk, got a new sim card, having no problems at all.
Hamish402
16 Dec 15#422
Trouble is phone doesn't do ANYTHING when the SIM card is put in! Occasionally it says talktalk but 99.9% of the time it just says no service - emergency calls only.
Hamish402
15 Dec 15#420
I have activated my TalkTalk SIM card but the phone still says no service. There is nowhere obvious to put in the unlock code I ordered and the Vodafone store in Plymouth were useless - told me to go to Tesco to buy a SIM card!?! Great 5"tablet but I bught it t be a phone!!
Marnisa to Hamish402
15 Dec 15#421
=======================
1. Switch ON your Mobile with a Not ACCEPTED SIM Card.
2. If your phone asks for a SIM PIN, it is not SIM NETWORK UNLOCK PIN so please enter your personal SIM PIN and press OK.
3. Phone will then ask for "Network unlock Pin/code".
4. Enter given Unlock Code
5. Your phone is now unlocked.
dppolo
15 Dec 15#419
Sky go works now
chrisb1357
15 Dec 15#418
Does SkyGo work on this
chrisb1357
15 Dec 15#417
Does SkyGo work on this
czrsiNk
11 Dec 15#416
in case anyone is following this post, the Smart Ultra 6 now has the Android 5.1.1 update available. expect it will be worth a download, around 240mb. HTH
nige182
10 Dec 15#415
I am getting five days of light use out of mine at the moment. Odd text and call, no additional background apps running (no Whatsapp, Facebook, etc.).
keepitretro08
10 Dec 15#413
Had 2 of these, first one battery degraded to a point where I didn't even get a day, out of it, and the second one lasted a month, and started having touch screen issues, then got update to 5.1.1, which totally killed the touchscreen altogether, so buyer beware applies here!!!
Marnisa to keepitretro08
10 Dec 15#414
Oh no! Maybe you can exchange it again? Sounds like you were unlucky and got faulty phones. Loving mine, very good battery life; using Greenify to hibernate when not in use means I only charge up once every 2 or 3 days with light to moderate use. Not updated OS yet, still worried about it messing things up.
winchman
10 Dec 15#412
Yep 5.1.1 installed at last...
Bossworld
9 Dec 15#411
Can confirm the update to 5.1.1 fixes the spell check bug, much happier to recommend the phone now.
mezfast
9 Dec 15#410
I wonder if anyone can help me. Iv lost the sim tray and can't find any replacement. Any alternatives? Thankyou
Marnisa
8 Dec 15#409
Scared to update. Whenever I get a new device and get a software update, it has always made the device less smooth, from iPad to Samsung smartphones :disappointed:
flintstone
8 Dec 15#408
BTW just got a notification that 5.1.1 is now available for this and downloading now :smile:
Will a three SIM card work in these and support all 4G bands.... Also anyone found a replacement back cover to replace the Vodafone branding ?
dragonxpress to ashtad
1 Dec 15#406
Mine works on three just fine (with a SIM unlock obviously) and get 4G
jaysexy212005
29 Nov 15#405
Whats the best camera app for this phone?
freccle
26 Nov 15#402
It'll be down to 99.99 tomorrow for Black Friday
brommy to freccle
27 Nov 15#403
Unfortunately it is still at £115:(
It went up from £100 to £115 yesterday lunchtime, just as I was finding my payment card! :disappointed::disappointed:
Still waiting for it to drop to £100 again... if it does!
Cropstar
26 Nov 15#401
Now £115
alonzomartini
25 Nov 15#400
I put TalkTalk sim card in Smart Ultra 6 and it worked without unlocking !
chrisgeller
25 Nov 15#398
I think TalkTalk is already on Vodafone so don't think you'd even have to unlock?
Hamish402 to chrisgeller
25 Nov 15#399
TalkTalk said I did - nothing happens at all when I put the SIM card in. maybe I should have put the vodafone one in first?
Hamish402
25 Nov 151#397
How do you unlock via Vodafone please? I have put in the talktalk sim card i have but nothing has happened so I don't know how to put in the unlock code i bought off ebay. Have never done this before. Do i have to put in a vodafone sim first?
Joe90_guy
21 Nov 151#396
Just a quick update on this casting malarky...
I removed and reinstalled Allcast and this time it did find my TV. However it won't cast photos at all (file not recognised). It will cast most (but not all) videos from my SU6. The video clarity is superb to look at but both the video and sound stutter badly. I tried BubbleUpnP which did more or less the same thing. I Googled the problem and it seems a lot of these casting Apps struggle with 1080p videos. Apparently it's all to do with insufficient bandwidth and poor bitrates. I probably didn't see the problem before because the Moto G clips are only 720p, not 1080p.
Whatever is happening here, it sound like it's not the fault the phone itself. I also noticed that the phone isn't flashing on YouTube today either. I suspect my BT Broadband might be having a bit of a mental breakdown!
Marnisa
21 Nov 15#394
Can someone recommend a reliable battery monitor app, please? :confused:
preecey to Marnisa
21 Nov 151#395
I found battery monitoring apps to actually deplete the battery faster than before they were installed. You'd be better off sticking with the built in Android battery stats.
However when I did have such apps installed on my old Android I was under the impression that BetterBatteryStats was the best. It's chargeable on the Play Store but free through XDA Developers.
kaip
21 Nov 15#391
Anyone got an step by step idiots guide on how to unlock this phone :smiley:
Marnisa to kaip
21 Nov 15#393
Buy the unlock code from eBay for approximately £2+. It comes with simple and easy to follow instructions, which looks idiot proof to me! Good luck.
Marnisa
21 Nov 15#392
Oh dear! :disappointed: YouTube works fine for me in portrait and landscape.
Similar to AllCast, is AirWire by Wellink Ltd, from Google playstore. You may have better luck with AirWire...?
Joe90_guy
21 Nov 151#390
Thanks for the reply. Sadly my TV doesn't have a native Screen Mirroring App, which is why I have to use Allcast.
Also last night I noticed something else weird. YouTube was behaving very oddly. There was a pronounced 'flashing' when I was playing video clips. This only happens in full screen landscape mode. If I turn my SU6 to show the clip in portrait, the flashing stops. I think YouTube updated itself recently so it might be the App rather than the phone. Very strange...
Joe90_guy
19 Nov 15#382
Here's an odd thing...
I use a little freebie App called Allcast to cast stuff to my Panasonic Smart (but actually a bit thick!) TV. It has always worked fine on my Moto G and Nexus 7. However for some reason in refuses to work on my Smart Ultra 6 and cannot find the TV when it's searching for devices. Anyone any thought on this???
Marnisa to Joe90_guy
20 Nov 15#389
Switched on Screen Mirroring on my Samsung Smart TV, and Cast Screen on my VSU6, streamed smoothly, no problems. I hope you can try this successfully with your Panasonic Smart but, Thick TV. Good luck!
intranix
20 Nov 15#388
I bought one to use while my z2 goes in for repair. It's really not bad for the money, but I dont think I could recommend it seeing as it's stuck on an old version of Android which appears to be quite laggy at times.
[email protected]/*
20 Nov 15#386
just to confirm tried my talktalk mobile sim in it today and it works fine without having to unlock.
preecey to [email protected]/*
20 Nov 15#387
Well it will work anyway. It's still locked to Vodafone. TalkTalk Mobile and Talk Mobile both use Vodafone as their host MNO (Mobile Network Operator).
tommydowp
19 Nov 15#385
I've just received mine, an amazing phone. Quick point to note is a nano sim is required (I upgraded from S4). Didn't seem to have swipe by default so I've installed Google keyboard. Thanks for posting OP, an super happy with this purchase.
busterdan
19 Nov 15#384
Received my two today, excellent value for money.
pinkmonkey
19 Nov 15#383
I'm lucky to even get 3g in my area, 4g will probably be some time off anyway!
tightasagnatschu
19 Nov 15#381
The Techradar review highlights the problem with your Mobilephonesdirect deal in its sub-heading. It's a great budget 4G phone but on a contract without 4G for 24 months. Plus obviously none of the cashback is guaranteed (though you should get it no problem).
therealjohnpeat
18 Nov 15#380
When I last looked, deliveries were quoted as '1-2 weeks' - just find one in a local store if you can, easier, quicker and they will match the online price if you ask.
pinkmonkey
18 Nov 15#379
Needed a replacement for dying S3. Did this deal instead via Mobile Phones Direct
£30 QUIDCO (already tracked)
Am already on £7.50 giffgaff - the deal below is for 500 mins, 5000 texts and 1GB data for £10 p/m No fee for handset
Also, £42.00 cashback which effectively brings monthly cost down to £8
Ordered 3PM Monday, delivered yesterday, very impressed so far.
Nano sim, so can't check at the mo whether phone is unlocked http://www.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk/shopping-basket
Hope this helps someone to get a decent phone with decent monthly allowance with no initial outlay. Well chuffed, only 50p more than I was already paying and got a brand new phone!
Six days later, have order accepted, but not confirmed on the Vodafone website tracking. Anybody else in the same situation?
martynzs to sjames
18 Nov 15#375
Snap, order accepted and money taken but so sign of dispatch or and further correspondence...
intranix to sjames
18 Nov 15#378
For what it's worth, I ordered a white one yesterday afternoon and it was delivered today.
benjaminbristow
18 Nov 15#377
I've tried that and it didn't work either. SuperUser application works fine and root is persistent but can't write to /system.
newsgroupmonkey
18 Nov 15#376
Start a Twitter diary about it and tweet @vodafoneukhelp
unimatrix0
18 Nov 15#373
I would buy it from amazon I ordered it from Vodafone last time they were reduced it got lost in the post had to wait 2 weeks. Vodafone did not help me one bit spent about 4 hours on the phone and got no where. I had to do all the chasing with the courier who were really great and understanding. Vodafone support is a pile of $h1t
therealjohnpeat
18 Nov 15#372
Bit of an update - I've now managed 3 "full days" of work (e.g. unlocked to GiffGaff and my only phone) and it's been fine
Furthermore - I've not charged it in that time and it's showing 67% right now. It's been a quiet few days (one being Sunday!), only half-a-dozen short calls, a few dozen texts, a bit of emailling, a bit of Googling - no games, no eBooks read. I do run Location Services and 3/4G data most of the time but no Bluetooth and the screen is set to about 20% brightness (which is fine and readable in most situations)
My S3 (3.5 years old) was dead after 12 hours of that sort of usage (e.g. barely got through some days without a boost) - even when new it seldom made it to the end of the day with more than 20% charge left
So the battery is, indeed, quite decent and I've hit no other snags. I see no need to root or ROM it at this point, I'm going to wait-out the 6 month 'no fault' warranty period at least for that I think
p.s. no the screen color being 'a bit washed out' as I noted earlier, if I'm honest the S3's screen was super-saturated. If you compare colors on screen to photos to reality, the S3 is VERY over-rich - the Ultra6's screen is actually quite true-to-life, but it won't win any "wow that looks amazing" awards.
A bit like super-bassy headphones, not how it's supposed to sound but people like it anyway ;0
9El9Nino9
17 Nov 15#371
if you've installed TWRP, why can't you install supersu through recovery? that would keep root, even after a reboot.
download the zip(https://download.chainfire.eu/696/supersu/) and install it in TWRP for super SU to replace king root.
HollynKitty
17 Nov 15#370
Mine arrived a few days ago and I absolutely love it! such a bargain and a huge step up from previous phones where I'd spent similar money. Thanks OP.
benjaminbristow
17 Nov 15#368
Very good phone. Been using it on Three unlocked for a quid or so.
I'm quite a power-user though so I'm moving over to a new phone, but this is perfect for anyone wanting to get into the world of smartphones. Beautiful screen and decent performance - nothing amazing though with stutters/lags once you start heavily using it.
Battery life is very good, I get around 4 hours SOT most of the time with little loss on standby. Takes a while to charge though even with the 'Quickcharge' technology.
Camera is also surprisingly good.
A few major problems with this phone though:
- Seems impossible to fully-root at the moment. I've used KingRoot which enables su and you can in-fact get in to a root shell, but you can't mount the /system partition so practically everything useful like AdAway won't work properly, or will reset on reboot. I've been able to install a TWRP Recovery which works great, but there's no custom ROMS at the minute and it's not certain whether this device will be updated, so you'll be stuck on 5.0.1 Lolipop which isn't the greatest. Good news is that all the Vodafone pre-installed apps are easy to remove and they're not obtrusive either, and other than that it's an almost Nexus-like stock Android experience.
- Rebooting device or letting it die has a 50/50 chance of resetting the date back a century. You'll have to reset the date manually for it to pick up WiFi signals or connect to your network.
- Gets very warm when using the device for a while, or using 4G/3G, especially in the top right at the back of the device.
- Headphone sound quality is mediocre at best (Tested with multiple quality headsets).
nige182 to benjaminbristow
17 Nov 15#369
It sounds like 5.1 is coming but no ETA, if and when it does the stutters you experienced should hopefully improve. Did you only try KingRoot as there is another option available? Check the Modaco forums for detailed instructions of a safer root method and also a method apparently working on handsets which seem to have trouble rooting by the normal methods.
Not had the rebooting error you mention, was that with or without a sim card in when you were getting that? Mine didn't have a problem without a sim or with GiffGaff and with a sim it should update the date and time by mobile network, not entirely sure but thinking that could be a network issue rather than handset issue.
Several people have reported it getting very warm, I haven't been using it long enough in one sitting to notice it yet but might try later to see how bad it is.
Also not tried headphones yet but some people are saying poor quality, others are saying great, I am actually beginning to wonder if there are two production lines in the factory, some handsets root easy, others don't, some people are saying headphone quality is poor/mediocre, others good. Otherwise it is just some batches seem to be better made than others, either batches of certain components are poorer or certain batches are tested more thoroughly. Either way, I guess this is possibly a quality control issue.
chrisgeller
17 Nov 15#367
Ordered yesterday for pick up. Still no email. Is it worth just turning up?
jaysexy212005
17 Nov 15#366
I ordered mine for delivery but still not come. Anyone had it delivered to their homes yet?
martynzs
16 Nov 15#365
Ordered yesterday fro, Vodafone site and payment taken (or pending from my account anyway) yet no order confirmation or dispatched email...surely they wouldn't take the money unless it was in stock and due for delivery?
speedking
16 Nov 15#364
Can you confirm it streams for you @micol?
Marnisa
16 Nov 15#363
Yes, very easy to unlock for just a couple of quid on ebay. Good luck! :sunglasses:
jojo69
12 Nov 152#10
can this be unlocked easily for use on ee
sokelly to jojo69
12 Nov 152#16
Yes the unlock codes from ebay for a few pounds work. I use mine on a BT mobile Sim (which use EE).
Its a great phone.
Phase1 to jojo69
12 Nov 151#41
£2.59 on Ebay
Whuelse to jojo69
13 Nov 15#200
Yes, just look at ebay. We ordered one of these phones from Amazon at 115£ and an unlock code for 2.29£. Its a brilliant phone (and I am comparing it to my S5). Wife is very happy.
imcconvey to jojo69
16 Nov 15#362
Yep. Done mine today. Unlocked it and put my EE sim card into the phone. Works perfectly fine.
salloo
16 Nov 15#361
Thanks, that worked. I was not waiting enough before.
neilscotland
16 Nov 151#360
Bought mine on Thursday and collected on Friday. Absolutely delighted with mine so far - speaking as an ex i-phone user - this £100 phone has way exceeded my expectations!
Getting Voda to complete my sim swap was a bit of a pain - had to resort to going back into store but once i did all was done in 10 mins.
Just trying to get used to Android now! But liking it so far
salloo
16 Nov 15#357
I've tried this combination volume down + power but no good. I think some other functionality has messed this up. Can someone confirm?
I just installed Screenshot Easy but I'll love to have this working without any additional app.
iainmann to salloo
16 Nov 15#359
Vol down and power works for me. You have to keep both pressed for a second or two.
TonyRUK
16 Nov 15#358
I'm a bit of a noob but I got this phone and was wondering if there is any easy way to transfer all my data from my Moto G 2nd Gen to this phone easily? Also, can these phones be rooted?
Thanks
salloo
16 Nov 15#353
Off topic but Is there anyone who can guide me how to take a screen shot?
Thanks
james_jvj1 to salloo
16 Nov 15#356
Normally just a case of pressing volume down + power button together
PompeyDick
16 Nov 15#354
I've had this phone for best part of 3 months and I can confirm that Sky Go DOES work on this.You do need to switch off Miracast in the settings and uninstall/re-install the app but used it fine on a long journey watching the Pompey game yesterday.The phone does get hot using it for 3 or so hours,but nothing really excessive,and the battery life is Ok and lasted fine.Ive taken a photo of it in use this morning but I'm damned if I can add the photo here! Any idea how ?
preecey to PompeyDick
16 Nov 15#355
That's good news, I'll see if I can change the settings on my dad's phone because it'd be great if he could actually watch Sky Go on it.
To upload photos on here it's best to upload it to a third party site like Imgur and then copy and paste the forum link
georgeturner
16 Nov 15#352
Ta op, ordered 2 days ago off Vodafone's website, Payment taken? I assume, now all gone quiet. The V account I had to setup doesn't work.....
preecey
16 Nov 15#351
Did you try streaming anything though?
The app might work initially but when you attempt to play any content it won't let you.
iliko
16 Nov 15#350
No, still I would take a plunge and buy it from reputable Chinese online stores like dx.com etc.
speedking
15 Nov 15#347
Thanks for letting us know about No Sky Go compatibility due to Miracast being enabled permanently @preecey
Was tempted to get this but will have to leave it.
micol to speedking
16 Nov 151#349
Sky Go works on mine. No problem!
mcrobbj
16 Nov 15#348
Google Authenticator doesnt work, apart from that its a great phone.
RebTheRebel
12 Nov 1512#11
Just replying on mine right now. Have to admit I'm normally a more pricey kind of guy when it comes to phones, but I've had this one now since the £99 deal a couple of months a go and I love it. Ridiculous value for the price. Yes the camera isn't the best but can be improved with other camera apps. I have the silver and white one and it looks really good. Smart looking. I'd also highly recommend the S-Style cases that can be bought on eBay for about £2. I usually hate the look of those cases but the clear one on mine looks brilliant and adds that tiny little extra cushioning against any bumps. Fantastic phone.
sumitkd to RebTheRebel
12 Nov 15#22
Agreed - great phone. Out of interest what camera app do you recommend? I'm using the standard one at the mo.
coldo to RebTheRebel
12 Nov 151#47
Yes I agree with the cases, I always buy the s line cases too, they are always cheap but they are always a great fit with strong durable material.
Hamish402 to RebTheRebel
15 Nov 15#319
Please could you post a link to the phone case? Sorry if you have already been asked - 16 pages to trawl through so may have missed it!
sw19church to RebTheRebel
15 Nov 15#346
what camera app is sharpest please
JerzyBulovski
15 Nov 15#345
Cheers, Nige. My only question about unlocking is whether the unlock code carries some signature of who supplied it? i.e. A phone may have more than one valid unlock code and it records which unlock code was used therefore it's possible to know if it came from vodafone or the manufacturer or some third party ?
JerzyBulovski
15 Nov 15#342
Some questions on this as I've got one on order for the mrs from amazon
1. Anyone who has already got one of these have any problems with mobile reception? I've seen a few gripes. I wish to use it on GiffGaff and we get reasonable reception here (2-3 bars on a Huawei G300 or Moto G) but any worse and it wouldn't be worth bothering with.
2. Does unlocking via an Ebay code invalidate the warranty?
3. It'll just get used for browsing, Here maps (offline), phone calls and texts..Any problems running Firefox etc with this device?
preecey to JerzyBulovski
15 Nov 151#343
1. No
2. No
3. No
nige182 to JerzyBulovski
15 Nov 151#344
1. Reception seems fine on mine on GiffGaff compared with my Lumia 1020 and Moto G handsets. The bars are not a good indication of signal strength though as there is no standardisation across handsets.
2. Nope, some people have claimed it does, others have claimed under warranty themselves after unlocking. Basically the method of unlock is the same, no flashing of the device required, just an unlock code to be put into the handset, so don't say anything about it if you need to claim and there will be no questions to answer anyway.
3. I can't answer that, I haven't used it for browsing yet as I don't tend to do that on my phone, usually stick to apps and get my tablet or laptop out for actual browsing.
preecey
15 Nov 1511#341
OK, so I got one of these for my dad and have had the opportunity to play with it for a while before giving it to him. After setting it up and installing all the apps he may need, here are my findings:
Pros:
• Amazing display. My god, it is excellent. Very high resolution, excellent viewing angles, easy to view in direct sunlight, can get very bright if desired.
• Very nearly a stock Android Lollipop experience. Apart from the pre installed Vodafone apps which can be easily uninstalled or disabled.
• Relatively speedy. Handles demanding tasks such as Google Earth quite well, although the occasional stutter was noticed.
• Sturdy and well built. The phone doesn't creak or flex at all and feels solid in the hand.
• Good speaker performance. Contrary to what a lot of people are saying, I found the loudspeaker to be perfectly acceptable.
• Very bright flashlight
• Very good battery life, even while using demanding applications. I was able to obtain 4.5 hours of screen on time under very heavy continuous use. This is something that cannot be achieved using my iPhone 6
Cons:
• It gets hot under demanding use. The top rear part of the phone can get quite warm when using Google Earth or demanding games
• Very slight lag can be observed in the animations, such as when pulling down the notifications menu - but nothing of any great concern
• The camera. Although very decent in good lighting conditions, it does suffer indoors in low light. You really do need to hold it very still to avoid camera shake. I have tried several camera apps such as the one preinstalled, 'A Better Camera' and Google Camera. All of which produce similar results but 'A Better Camera' has far more options.
I found that you can take pictures using the volume up key using Google Camera and A Better Camera but not the preinstalled camera application. Taking photos using the volume up key helped to prevent camera shake in low light conditions.
• No Sky Go compatibility due to Miracast being enabled permanently. EDIT: Apparently this no longer is this case and several people have managed to get it working!
Overall, despite its minor drawbacks, I found it to be exceptional value for money. The quality of the screen is its main selling point and I will definitely recommend it.
nige182
15 Nov 15#340
I went for a leather folding case, I like the style as had one for a previous phone and it adds more protection around. Plus a glass screen protector obviously. Both dirt cheap on AliExpress.
Please could you post a link to the phone case? Sorry if you have already been asked - 16 pages to trawl through so may have missed it![/quote It's one of these cases. There £2.95 delivered in the UK, cheaper from outside. The clear case is the best I think, especially if you have the silver/white model.
Ok this is strange but it's not letting me link to the cases. Basically search eBay for Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 case and it's about the 12th one down priced at £2.95.
busterdan
15 Nov 15#337
My local store didn't have any anyway, but they said the price was £115 and the £100 was a Black Friday special only.... I came home and ordered two online, to be honest I was surprised they didn't insist on the top up as that is fairly standard on PAYG phones.
nige182
15 Nov 15#336
Did you restore from a Google backup? People have reported this issue before: click here for FAQ
Fullerene
14 Nov 15#307
I have been puzzled about the battery life comments on this phone. I get a good day easily but not much more. A number of factors affect battery drain, how much you have location, bluetooth and wifi on of course plus the brightness of the screen. I have put my lack of getting a couple of days use down to living in a poor mobile phone signal area. This means the phone boosts the signal and drains the battery faster so if you want lots of use turn the phone off if you are in an area of no signal and do all the usual (dimming screen, having less apps running) and this should boost the life. Just like the lights in your home don't leave them (apps etc) on if you are not using them.
disgraceUK to Fullerene
15 Nov 15#335
I get 2 days on average, what I make sure I do is turn off mobile data when connected to WiFi (texts still come through) and when not on WiFi I swipe away any recent apps, this seems to help the radio leak bug.
Y3KNAZ
15 Nov 15#334
I can't think of any reason as it seems you know your way around the phone. Short of a factory reset, not sure what it could be ...sorry!
po57405k
15 Nov 15#333
Yeah, been through all the normal settings as i have with any other andriod phone.
Y3KNAZ
15 Nov 15#332
Have you gone into settings, display?
po57405k
15 Nov 15#331
Ive text and whatsapped several times from my wifes phone, been in the phone and whatsapp / text settings and even tried notification apps but the notification pulse light does not come on?
wansheet
15 Nov 15#330
Thanks I'll try that but I'm sure I tried that initially, I'll do it again
po57405k
15 Nov 15#328
anyone having problems getting the notification light working?
Y3KNAZ to po57405k
15 Nov 15#329
Just sent a text to the new phone and Notification light... comes on.
Thanks. My Note 3 just died today and I need a phone for work. This seems a really decent phone for £100. Purchased.
tobiasrags
15 Nov 15#325
I saw this in Asda for £90 today. Instore only
wansheet
15 Nov 15#322
Great phone but for some reason google chrome does not work on my Ultra 6, Anybody know how to resolve this?
Y3KNAZ to wansheet
15 Nov 15#324
Try updating Google Play services.. HOpefully all Google products should work ok, once that is done.
Y3KNAZ
15 Nov 15#323
Exactly... not all stores are singing from the same sheet.
Consistency, is not Vodafone strong point.
flintstone
15 Nov 15#321
I had no problems whatsoever in Belfast's Victoria Centre, walked in, guy checked my details and I told him, it was for my niece who had a vodafone sim card... 10 mins later I walked out with my new phone for £100 without being asked for a £10 topup
Y3KNAZ
15 Nov 151#320
Vodafone stores vary...
I have 2 vodafone contracts and yet they were still insisting on a £10 top up....
However I argued my case and said I have the option on the Voda website.
The store manager than got involved.
He said they are meant to be sold with a Top up as that is the Pay as you Go price, Not the Sim Free (Out right)
Handset price which would differ.
I managed to get the phone without top-up, but it should be compulsary he kept stating.
So just a warning... it really is dependant on What Vodafone store you go to.
Vegeta
14 Nov 15#311
Doogee F5 is better spec than both Ultra 6 and P8000 (Gorilla Glass missing) and cheaper than both too.
Comparing imported phones with virtually zero support/comeback in the event of problems to phones supplied in the UK is chalk-and-cheese. Prices often don't consider postage/duty/VAT either (tho even if all applied, the Doogee would like still be cheaper)
Not to say they're not good deals but they're not comparable in the way that buying a car with zero history from a bloke on a council estate is not comparable to getting a car from a dealer with a warranty and comeback in the event of issues.
Note: people do both - they're just not really comparable.
RichH6109 to Vegeta
15 Nov 15#318
Yeah, if you can get one. I've had a Doogee on back order for months - I'd rather deal with Vodafone in the UK than GearBest/BangGood.
andreas0013
15 Nov 15#316
there is a guy in the vodafone forums saying that he contacted ZTE and they said the 5.1 upgrade is under testing "Thanks for contacting ZTE.
As the information you shared, this device should be able to support Android 5.1 system, but specific system is still under test and haven't released officially yet, once it is being quality pass, ZTE will launch the system via FOTA upgrade, please allow us sometime.
Here is is the thread https://forum.vodafone.co.uk/t5/Other-manufacturers-OS/Vodafone-Smart-Ultra-6-Software-Update/td-p/2419298/highlight/true/page/3
daniq
15 Nov 15#313
Can you change the language to Spanish?
RebTheRebel to daniq
15 Nov 15#315
Yes. There is English, Italian, Dutch, French and Spanish as the choice of language selection.
sailo
12 Nov 156#7
Dealing with Vodafone customer services is painful.
Simple sim swap can take a week!
You waste hours on the phone.
If you don't have to contact CS then all good.
thisismark to sailo
13 Nov 15#277
Too right, mine was faulty and I Spent hours trying to get them to sort it out. In the end I had to re claim via the credit card company.
blitzmmccv to sailo
13 Nov 15#296
You buy the phone go on ebay get a £4 unlock code an don't bother with vodafones network. :smiley:
amour3k to sailo
15 Nov 15#314
With MOST Networks i've ever had i've MAINLY gone physically into the respective Network's Shop for a 'face to face' in PERSON to speak my X Y & Z with them there & then! (cos' of such similar stupid things, etc?, hahahaha).
Face to face is preferable key to allllll this? (if &/or where possible/necessary ofcourse ..... ) :-)
andreas0013
14 Nov 15#312
guys how is the call quality?
therealjohnpeat
14 Nov 15#310
In the EXACT same situation (even to the point I'm on GiffGaff - tho not much longer given the **** which O2 call a service) I was told I HAD to buy the top-up to get the phone. I had already gotten them to drop the instore price (£115) to £100 tho, I was perhaps pushing my luck.
They want £110 for the phone if you're not a PAYG customer - you MIGHT be able to bully them out of the £10 top-up, who knows but the deal is £110 for new customers.
p.s. this weekend the are doing double-data on the £14x12 month SIM deal - so 2Gb instead of 1Gb - I was tempted (again, O2 suck balls around here)
mickw66
14 Nov 15#303
Can anyone recommend any decent cases for this?
Ta
newsgroupmonkey to mickw66
14 Nov 15#306
Depends what kind of case you want.
As I posted a few pages back.....
"Can I also suggest this as an add on. Rumour has it that the screen isn't bomb proof.
The case is really thin too. It's a case and a proper screen for £2.90 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291601022636"
You barely know it's in a case.
alex_3000 to mickw66
14 Nov 15#309
I got a cotechs one from Amazon really good :smiley:
dragonxpress
14 Nov 15#308
Ordered at 6.45am online yesterday without a hitch. Received confirmation email minutes later. Picked up from Bury store at 9am. They didn't have pay as you go stock in store so redistributed their contract stock so I could still have one. Overall, pleasant customer service experience and yet to try the phone but happy to sell my Note 3 and Nokia 930 to have this phone plus cash in my pocket!
Legfan2
12 Nov 152#49
I would avoid unless this gets a firmware update. Mines crashes a lot online, can't watch Skygo because miracast is always on, no way to disable.
Wide Awake Jake to Legfan2
14 Nov 15#305
Who needs sky go with mobdro or kodi?
joshnorman1992
14 Nov 15#304
Unlocking was definitely super simple. Phone is a big improvement over my 1st gen moto g.
mickw66
14 Nov 15#302
Again, can confirm this isn't true.
They even asked me, who are you with at the minute? Told them GiffGaff and they said okay no problem, you won't want one of our sims then no?
Sorted
therealjohnpeat
14 Nov 15#301
Top-up only required if you can't produce an activated Voda sim to put into the phone
Note: I assume they have a system which limits phones-per-sim - so you can't use 1 sim to buy a tonne of handsets
mickw66
14 Nov 15#300
Can confirm that this isn't true, I paid £100 for phone, no top-up required.
therealjohnpeat
14 Nov 15#299
In other news, a few hours of use and I have 2 petty complaints about the Ultra 6
1 - power button too close to volume controls - keep hitting the wrong one ;0
2 - screen lacks brightness/vivid colors/blackness compared to even the S3 - compared to an S6 it would be awful - BUT - I suspect had I not been looking at both, I'd never have noticed this (I am a bit worried about what it will be like on a sunny day but I guess I have months to wait for that!!)
joshnorman1992
14 Nov 15#297
Thanks, does the code come with instructions regarding input?
therealjohnpeat to joshnorman1992
14 Nov 15#298
Yes - it's relatively easy but be aware that unlocking via eBay codes has a small security risk as you need to hand over details of your phone (IMEI, sim etc.)
If that bothers you, it's £20 to get Voda to do it - I guess it depends how much you value security/peace-of-mind
Worst case, your IMEI could be cloned I guess?
cke
13 Nov 15#289
Picked one of these up today, bought an unlock code from ebay for abour £2.25 which took around an hour to unlock in total and about 30 seconds from receiving the code. Very easy. Just need to send the seller your IMEI number, network provider details and the phone number of the sim card you want to use.
Phone seems great value so far but I can't get it to connect with any of my laptops. Not sure what i'm doing wrong but according to the instructions when you connect via USB it should bring up a notification box but nothing. Anyone had this so far?
winchman to cke
13 Nov 151#295
Settings>storage> the three dots in the top right, tick mtp. Should show up then as a device.
RebTheRebel
13 Nov 151#294
One thing that id love to be able to buy but can't find one anywhere is a sticker to stick over the Vodafone logo on the back, around the size of a 5pence piece. Want a silver Chrome sticker same style as that on a Chromebook but can find anything.....
So if anyone knows please feel free to direct me.
sempai106
13 Nov 151#293
if you got NUS card, it's £95 from amazon! :smiley:
davedave95
13 Nov 151#292
Is the iPhone 6, 6 times better than this?
Richard_Lawrence
13 Nov 15#291
If you had scrolled down past just 4 short posts on the link provided, you would have found references to the Ultra 6
Cmberry20
13 Nov 15#290
Yes yes, I know that the phone 'didnt' work with Sky Go, but I stumbled across a post on another forum (which i cant find again!!) that posted there had been a small security update & Sky Go was now working. So, I was wanting to know if anyone has RECENTLY tried this phone with Sky Go & whether it works or not.
davedave95
13 Nov 15#281
If I order online and collect in store will I have to pay the £10 top-up, even if I have selected 'use existing sim'?
PS I don't have a Vodafone sim :smile:
m600 to davedave95
13 Nov 151#288
No, you will not have to.
damadgeruk
13 Nov 15#287
Thread linked refers to Smart Prime 6 (though Sky Go doesn't work on the Ultra 6 either).
Cmberry20
13 Nov 15#283
Wish someone would confirm if Sky Go works or doesn't work. Its the only thing stopping me buying one.
I'm still livid with vodafones treatment. Black listed for me and I will **** them off for ever more.
Buy it from Amazon (see the other thread)
Fwiw I have this phone. It's absolutely great as a smart phone, very quick and miles better than the sgs III it replaced.
Can I also suggest this as an add on. Rumour has it that the screen isn't bomb proof.
The case is really thin too. It's a case and a proper screen for £2.90 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291601022636
joshnorman1992
13 Nov 15#276
Thanks, ordered one for pick up tomorrow morning. Hope unlocking is simple.
RebTheRebel to joshnorman1992
13 Nov 15#282
Unlocking is beyond simple. From the moment you insert your sim after receiving there code, you'll have it unlocked in less than 20 seconds. Stupidly easy and straightforward.
therealjohnpeat
13 Nov 15#280
My S3 actually started to shed bits of glass today so I caved-in and headed for phone shops before I stabbed myself with it!!
Played with a G3, Moto-G 3rd gen, Smart Prime 6 and Smart Ultra 6.
Even at Amazon price (£210 right now) the G3 is a pricey phone and I was amazed it had no hardware buttons - the backbuttons for power and volume feel a bit weird but I guess that's an acquired taste - it has a higher-density/res screen but I saw NO other reason to spend over £200 on one (that's a 2Gb/16Gb device - same as the Ultra6)
Moto-G feels nice in the hand - I like the 'grippy' back and choice of colors - phone worked well but I really do hate soft-buttons so I was kinda losing interest at this point - if I had nothing else to see tho, I'd have taken the Moto-G as it was from O2 so no unlock needed for GiffGaff
Prime felt OK and has proper buttons!! For £75 it seemed GREAT value and a nice size but there was the Ultra6 next to it and you think "more is more" and next thing you know you NEED that massive screen ;0
In-store the Ultra6 is £115+£10 top-up tho, so I asked about the £100 online price and the salesperson said "We have stock here and now in both colours and we'll match that price if you want one" - so £100+£10 top-up and it's mine
After my S3 (which was running 5.1.1 so technically ahead of the Ultra's 5.0.2) it's really snappy and stuff like importing my SMSs went like lightning. The screen is maybe a bit dimmer than the S3's and the camera isn't amazing (tho it's also not terrible) - I snapped old with new at https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1164739/s3.jpg
I've removed all the Voda apps (you have to disable Voda Update and Message+, the rest uninstall completely) and I now have a 'bare Android' device - easy peasy.
Next step is swapping to a Nanosim and unlocking it for GiffGaff - but as I had to buy a sim from Voda I'm going to use-up the 512Mb 4G data first
p.s. Voda offer in-store Zagg screen protection which is tempting - it's not cheap at £13.50 but I DESPISE putting screen protectors on phones, I usually use-up 4 or 5 to get one on straight and clean - I might just pull-the-trigger on that too!!
m600
13 Nov 151#279
Thanks so much for that worked a treat, just ordered the unlock code.
vintage_allen
13 Nov 15#278
hi, quick question and a bow at the experience here, one of these or the umi iron for similar money?
I would highly recommend this, for the price difference its a no brainer. Had mine now for 3 months and its great I paid full price for mine so for £100 this is a steal. Be aware it might be even cheaper next week when black friday deals start :smiley:
JoeBoy88 to daniq
12 Nov 15#86
My sister sold her s4 and bought one of these and loves it.
I have one to and love it.
qaiser786 to daniq
13 Nov 15#273
definitely the s4 this is nothing compared to the s4. i highly recommend the s4. better screen, camera and os. and s4 is a flagship this a budget.
cambria
13 Nov 15#272
Anyone have any recommendation as to whether I'd be better off with this or the LG G3? Doesn't appear to be much in it in spec...?!
Milki_bar_Kid
13 Nov 15#270
As Amazon are now selling it for the same price anyone in their right mind would buy from Amazon. Voadafone the worst company EVER!
iainsimmo
13 Nov 15#269
I've owned one of these for 4 months having had a MotoG 2nd gen previously and this phone is a country mile better. Bearing in mind ZTE sell it as the Blade 6 for twice this price, it's a hell of a lot of phone for the money. And with £3 for an unlock code from eBay it makes it a huge bargain.
Queen'O'Deals
13 Nov 15#268
Thanks very much, thelatics!!
thelatics
13 Nov 15#267
and yes its as easy as putting in a non Vodafone Sim and typing in your eBay purchased code
thelatics
13 Nov 15#266
eBay sellers sell sim unlocking codes, the other is software and won't be on eBay
Queen'O'Deals
13 Nov 15#265
Never unlocked a moby via Ebay code before - can anybody tell me......
1) Is it easy enough to do?
2) How do I know the difference if I am buying SIM unlock or a Bootloader?
(Referring to these comments in the title............
SIM unlock will NOT void your warranty!!
Unlocking can also refer to Bootloader (rooting) and would void it (though they can't always tell) :smiley:
- mrew42 )
But can you buy it from a UK retailer with a UK warranty? :wink:
andreas0013
13 Nov 15#260
Now that amazon price matched this, does that mean that the price won't go up again?
preecey to andreas0013
13 Nov 15#262
No, Amazon also increased the price back in line with Vodafone when their sale ended last time.
preecey
13 Nov 15#259
Don't worry it's only TechRadar. You should never trust them to do an impartial, honest review.
nightshot
13 Nov 151#258
Spent half an hour picking up the phone from the store today, click and collect? click and wait until they find someone who knows what they are doing more like.
Got it home, wouldnt read any sim cards. Took it back and he said I'd damaged it!! I told him he can say what he likes as long as I get a replacement straight away.
I knew there was a reason I left vodafone all those years ago.
rev6
13 Nov 15#257
The Moto G 2nd LTE doesn't do too bad :smiley:
Happydundee
13 Nov 15#256
can you point me to these cases please, can't seem to find them on eBay. Thanks
Daz13
13 Nov 15#255
Hahaha.
Joe90_guy
13 Nov 15#254
When I picked up my SU6 a few weeks ago in the three day, £99 Vodafone sale, I thought nice phone but getting a software upgrade (even to 5.1) for such a small volume phone was highly unlikely.
With Vodafone doing the £100 deal and now Amazon price matching, I am now wondering if this phone has more volume potential than I first thought. The person that suggested this phone could be the new San Francisco (I owned it as the T-Mobile Vivacity) made a very good point. If so, maybe the odds on us getting a 5.1 upgrade are shortening. Fingers crossed...
With a beautiful screen, great performance and excellent internet capabilities, the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 is a revelation for the price. Yet, dogged with a poor camera, average battery life and excessive bloatware, it isn't quite a perfect budget hero.
Average battery life ? In real world use I doubt you'll find an android phone that last longer between charges.The battery life is incredible.3 days between charges for me
hullu
13 Nov 15#248
Thanks, I thought I was losing it, My cheapest phone the best and the Iphone the worst.
Cmberry20
13 Nov 15#247
Can someone confirm if Sky go is working on this phone? I've read a post on another forum which mentioned a small update which enabled Sky Go to work but I can't find any other references to this update and everyone else is saying it's still not working.
mezfast
13 Nov 15#243
Is it better to buy from amazon or vodaphone shop?
rev6 to mezfast
13 Nov 15#246
Amazon...
soled73
13 Nov 15#245
Just bought from amazon in seconds - not bad considering I've been trying to order from Vodafone for two days now, each time I get message...
"Sorry, we're making a few tweaks. We'll be back soon. We're working hard to get it all done and dusted"
TH3R4POR
13 Nov 15#244
just bought me and missus one each, cheers :smiley:
Rk_bk
13 Nov 15#242
Just now I brought the phone, can you please send me the unlock ebay link.
mezfast
13 Nov 15#240
Is it better to buy from amazon or vodaphone shop?
nige182 to mezfast
13 Nov 151#241
Amazon, by far.
mezfast
13 Nov 15#239
Is it better to buy from amazon or vodaphone shop?
Brought one last time it was at £99 in September for daughter who wanted iphone 6. Great phone. She is happy with it. That time round had problems ordering online so went to local shop and picked one up. Talktalk sim worked fine straight off.
therealjohnpeat
13 Nov 15#234
The problem with that sort of 'side by side' testing is that there are TONNES of other factors you can't properly control.
One of them - amusingly - is that if one device was poorly shielded it would interfere with the Wifi/3G signal from the other, making it look slower ;0 That's unlikely but it's an example of why this sort of testing is a bit flawed.
What is more common is that Android smartphones run a TONNE of background stuff which slows-down other apps - the Ultra seems to come with more stuff installed and so that will be a factor in how fast it starts/runs stuff until you get rid of it all.
Games and apps also access the Internet a lot - esp on startup - which means performance is affected by the quality of your Wifi/3G AND their servers AND everything inbetween. You'd expect differing results and - frankly - I'd not trust any of them as a measure of the device itself.
The GPS test is likely better on the MotoG because it supports worldwide GPS (e.g. GLONASS etc.) - e.g. it's a better GPS chip but unless you're planning a trip into the back-of-beyond in darkest Asia, you'll be fine - it won't affect finding your local Tesco ;0
It IS interesting tho - but you can't read a huge amount into it because there are so many factors. End of the day I think you choose the one you prefer and I'm a sucker for 'proper buttons' on a phone (soft buttons are a **** idea)
tightasagnatschu
12 Nov 15#116
I wish Amazon would price match this.
Can't even see the 'tell us about a better price' option on Amazon any more :disappointed:
I've just been and bought one. Advertised as £125 but scans as £100.
RedDwarfIsCool to mighty mugger
13 Nov 15#230
If you go in-store you will have to pay £10 top up
Naith
13 Nov 15#206
Still can't buy the flippin' thing - website keeps crashing. Been like this since last night :-(
FlashbackUK to Naith
13 Nov 15#216
This will happen any time of day - just like the company itself, the website is pants. I ended up paying the premium and ordering from Amazon for £115. Monitor over a few days as the price always fluctuates.
RedDwarfIsCool to Naith
13 Nov 15#229
I've had the same problem. Created an account, go to log in and the same message every time - please change your password - We're working hard to fix the issue, so please try again later.
We are working hard to fix the issue, so please try again later.
No go on the phone deal here.
Picard123
13 Nov 15#228
Interesting how better engineered the Moto G seems to be despite the less powerful components.
jonboy32
13 Nov 15#227
My partner has this phone and had the same problem.
I found that if you rotate the screen to landscape mode, the spell checker then works.
jaysexy212005
12 Nov 15#137
This or moto g3?
229mel to jaysexy212005
12 Nov 15#140
Obviously moto g3 , This ''smart'' ultra 6 is just a cheap chinese rebadge with pretty bad build quality and laggy interface .. Check the YT reviews and touch one in store before you order it..you will soon change your mind!
Creative666 to jaysexy212005
13 Nov 15#226
Most of it yeah.
Creative666
13 Nov 15#223
I have this handset, double tap works 99% of the time with mine. FYI, double tap is supposed to only work once you have picked up the handset.
FlashbackUK to Creative666
13 Nov 15#225
Works fine when sitting on a table too IME.
hullu
13 Nov 15#203
Are my ears deceiving me? I'm hearing detail from my mp3 tracks with this phone that I don't hear on my Iphone 5c or Nokia lumia. Others have mentioned a poor music player. Wondering whether the octa-core processor helps detail or what?
red5 to hullu
13 Nov 15#219
No your ears arent deceiving you, one of the first things I noticed was how much better than my moto g the audio was.
rev6 to hullu
13 Nov 151#221
Nothing to do with the cores but the DSP.
red5 to hullu
13 Nov 15#224
No your ears arent deceiving you, one of the first things I noticed was how much better than my moto g the audio was.
nige182
13 Nov 15#222
First or second gen? Out of the built in speaker I thought it sounded worse than the Moto G second gen, but haven't done a side by side comparison yet or headset comparison.
FlashbackUK
13 Nov 151#214
Don't bother buying from Vodafone. They won't send the phone, they'll lie to you when you chase it, won't call you back when they promise to and just be an all round PITA. Avoid at all costs. Cold.
nige182 to FlashbackUK
13 Nov 15#215
Mine from the last deal was delivered...
Though a lot of people had problems, so I would say avoid if you can but if you really want this handset then get it on a credit card so you can chargeback easily if you need to.
dz1 to FlashbackUK
13 Nov 15#220
They sound exactly like Virginmedia.
m600
13 Nov 15#218
I have a old contract sim that has a bigger metal area so cutting down wiill not work. Found a newer sim you can cut that down.so older sims may not work by cuttiing them. My sim is like 5 years old hahah.
FlashbackUK
13 Nov 15#217
They tend not to charge until it goes out for delivery so wasn't any issues there fortunately!
mackie7722
13 Nov 15#212
As a self confessed tech idiot coming from a moto g 1st generation can someone tell me how easy it is to get rid of all the vodafone bits installed on this phone and is there a solution to the spelling correction issues it seems to have? or am i better off just sticking to what I know and getting a new moto G 3rd generation. Thank you.
nige182 to mackie7722
13 Nov 15#213
Uninstall them, there are only a couple which wont uninstall but there is a nice disable button next to them in the apps section of settings that works fine.
Deal_HUNT3R
13 Nov 15#211
sweet deal
cicobuff
13 Nov 15#210
Nice price for the rebranded for Vodaphone 'ZTE Blade S6 Lux' takes me back to the Orange San Francisco 'ZTE Blade V880' days of 2010.
mickw66
13 Nov 15#202
Anyone know how to cut down a sim to fit this phone?
An iPhone 5c's sim doesn't fit, and the sim from my old Nexus 4 doesn't fit either.
Vodafone say it is a nano-sim but it seems a nano-sim cut in a special way...?
No guides or anything that I can find, want to use my new phone but I'm stuck?! :disappointed:
mickw66 to mickw66
13 Nov 154#204
OK.
So just in case anyone is as stupid as me...
Don't try putting the sim card in the SD card slot, as it won't work.
Doh!
hullu to mickw66
13 Nov 15#205
I just used scissors and cut round the chip, you can take as much plastic off as you like, just don't chomp into the actual chip, if you're unsure practice on an old sim or one from a pound shop and when that's right use it back to back and cut round it as a guide.
alex_3000 to mickw66
13 Nov 15#209
It's a nano SIM no special cut
alex_3000
13 Nov 151#208
Me too probably the only down side at moment if I spell a word incorrectly it highlights it in red, usually if you click on that word a drop down list will appear to suggest a replacement word. This feature does not work unfortunately the list flickers and then disappears :disappointed:
For all Sky go users just install Mobdro, its free and has loads of channels on there :sunglasses:
nightshot
13 Nov 15#207
Just ordered and collecting this afternoon :smiley: heat added
obachim1981
13 Nov 15#197
This or moto g 2015? The 2gb one, that is.
Flynn_Lives to obachim1981
13 Nov 15#199
I have the Moto G 2015 2gb and am VERY happy with it. Very fast, improved camera, and even though the MicroSD slot says up to 32gb, I have a 128gb card in it and it works fine :smile:
happenstance
13 Nov 15#179
How is it a bad camera? Its got the new Sony sensor 13mp right?
I'm upgrading from my nexus 4 so think it will be a better camera.
This is a classic, like the San Francisco.
bankerscum to happenstance
13 Nov 15#198
That was a piece of junk, viral marketing/sheep mentality worked well for orange.
peachybubba1980
13 Nov 15#196
If Skygo is an issue, has anyone managed to use Virgin Media anywhere on this?
Chz
13 Nov 151#195
To be fair, the 3310 is quite probably a vastly better phone than the lot of them. However, it's just that. A phone.
brown770
13 Nov 152#194
As said elsewhere, the camera APP lets this phone down ( the software, not the hardware), search Play store for the free version of 'A Better Camera' and all problems will be solved!!!
lauren993
13 Nov 152#193
Glad I'm not the only one with the spellchecking problem, it's very irritating.
lauren993
13 Nov 15#192
I find the tap to wake always works on a desk when you double tap the home button area? That's the solution I use anyways!
fedmar
13 Nov 15#191
I would recommend it for £100 but it's not perfect. screen, battery and audio are good to me but I found the camera and the overall system speed sub par. Also I already had 2 full crashes, black screen not responding to anything for a while.
Dblue75
13 Nov 15#189
Is this phone decent ? I currently have a Samsung S6 edge...and as good a phone as it is recently the Bluetooth function keeps dropping off for some reason.....I need it for my running and in the gym etc.......Thinking of cutting my losses and going for another phone...doesn't have to be top spec.....but good enough to browse, take decent pics and connect bluetooth for my music....???
gsj87 to Dblue75
13 Nov 15#190
Yeah, the phones decent for the price (apart from the camera) but it isn't no Samsung s6 edge.
craigdobson507
13 Nov 15#188
Christmas sorted Thanks!! :smiley:
winchman
13 Nov 15#187
The problem with the camera I have found is the auto focus and low light shots. In daylight most of the time they come out good. But these problems are just restricted to this phone.
Rob_B
13 Nov 151#185
I bought one at £125 a few weeks back. Moved from an iPhone 5.
Lovely phone, nice big bright screen.
Battery life is pretty decent
Unlocking is easy, £2.79 from eBay for the code
Very little junk on the phone, can disable or remove all the Vodafone apps
Camera is pants, not as good as my iPhone 5
Build quality is on but the side plastic is a bit creaky
Well worth under £100!
dirkthedaring71
13 Nov 152#182
WARNING!!! If you buy this then pay cash. I've just spent 4 months trying to get my money back after Vodafone charged my credit card twice. I had to get VISA involved to get a refund. A truly awful company. Fantastic phone though. Even my wife likes it.
clarkey1976 to dirkthedaring71
13 Nov 15#184
Ordered mine at £99 on 27th September and still waiting!!!!
Will see if I can get one in store at £100 :disappointed:
seabs
13 Nov 15#183
Recently experienced regular crashes on my SU6. It doesn't seem to like having earphones plugged (Not the crap supplied ones) in and Spotify played. I've also got a few dead pixels. As others have said the camera isn't great but adequate for Facebook, Instagram etc. I will be taking it back to Vodafone for a repair or replacement when I get the chance but for £100 you can't go wrong.
kullyxo
13 Nov 15#181
this or lg G3?
is this likely to go down further on Black Friday?
freedom14
13 Nov 15#180
if you have a talkmobile contract no need to unlock as they use Vodafone network..just call talkmobile to set phone to them..bought this phone few months ago when £125..so good price for best near high end specd phone on market..I wanted a screen for watching movies on the go, its brilliant and fast....yes it doesn't do everything as well as ip6/s6 but its damn close and for a fraction of the price....this I'd a no brainer and will in time be regarded as one of best phones ever
Serialkillerz82
13 Nov 15#178
Nice, have some heat!
thelatics
13 Nov 151#177
I know there's been 3 threads on this phone, but let me quickly say what the pro's and con's of this phone are;
Pro's
1. For the price its fantastically specc'ed (and b4 you start saying it's no iPhone, ITS ONLY £100)
2. Big screen (if you like that kind of thing)
3. Bright vivid display
4. <£3 to unlock to any network (and no it won't invalidate the bl00dy warranty)
5. Bloatware can be disabled/uninstalled
6. Pretty fast
7. Decent battery life (more than a day)
Cons;
1. Still no 5.1 (and possibly never)
2. Poor camera
3. Vodafone are pants, REALLY BAD CS.
cottontop74
13 Nov 15#176
With the current install version of android (5.0.1) sky go doesn't work....
Tiger786
12 Nov 15#150
hi all..... can any 1 please tell me what sort of problems are you have with this phone because I am having problems with what's app by recording for an example I recorded for 20sec its will play for 10 not the full 20sec and when I record a video it doesn't read it properly like you record and play the video it only plays voice with lines no clear picture its a crap phone so let me know people that have this sort of problem or problems THANK YOU......
Bossworld to Tiger786
13 Nov 15#175
Probably software related, the spell check facility is knackered too (can't choose from the list of words).
csf
13 Nov 15#174
Lol mediatek are spanking
quallcom at low / medium tiers and soon at the higher end. True that Quallcom might have a bigger R&D budget but the 615 gets spanked by the equivalent Mediatek, and the Mediatek is cheaper, mtk6753. So R&D budget is prob spent in the pub
[P=busterdan]There is a lot more to CPU's than speed.... generally it seems the Mediatek CPU have little research and development so are less optimised than say the Snapdragon alternatives. Consequently the devices do not always run well or reliably.[/quote]
ivanholmes1
13 Nov 15#173
How does this compare to a note 3?
andysterling
13 Nov 15#172
I know for a fact they can't.
My LG G2 which i bought in August 2014 from Vodafone (£175) and i unlocked via an eBay code after i got home with the phone, developed a fault recently whereby the screen would jitter, so i took it back to the store for them to repair, i even mentioned that it was unlocked as they asked for a Vodafone number for the job report, i gave them my 3 number.
I bought this phone whilst my G2 was away for repair, i've left the repaired G2 in the box, the smart ultra 6 is good enough, slower than my G2 but not that it makes a massive difference.
bankerscum
12 Nov 15#100
I am really struggling to see the reasons for the heat on this deal.
das5665 to bankerscum
12 Nov 154#102
Then you must be blind
winchman to bankerscum
12 Nov 151#103
I think the heat is mainly because a lot of people have them and are happy with them, me included. The fact it's a bit cheaper than the original great price for the spec is a bonus.
MrPuddington to bankerscum
12 Nov 15#105
Well, name another phone with a 5.5" FHD display, 4G, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of flash, for this price. The specs are good, and the rest is not too bad.
Agharta to bankerscum
12 Nov 153#122
Ask an adult to explain it to you quickly before it's your bed time.
rev6 to bankerscum
12 Nov 15#127
Know a better deal?
chemeng to bankerscum
13 Nov 15#171
I've got an excellent ophthalmologist to recommend
no_Sunshine
13 Nov 15#170
Hot! Sorry OP, voted cold by mistake :disappointed:
bargainhunter666
13 Nov 15#169
If you have to ask then no point explaining. It should be obvious and I see someone has explained. unlocking costs a few quid.
dz1
13 Nov 152#168
You mean like the snapdragon 810 with its overheating problems?
therealjohnpeat
12 Nov 15#39
My trusty 3.5-year-old S3 took an arrow to the knee last night (glass cover shattered) - it's dodgy power socket means a repair is a waste of time so it's new phone time
This looks great - except I'm guessing it's MASSIVE after an S3 - I'm not sure I want massive!?
I'd sorta decided to pickup a G3 - seemed like a decent upgrade from the S3 without being enormous - but it's twice the price of this which is - well - silly!?
Anyone used any or all of those and care to contrast em please? Anything else I should consider??
Note: I've looked at the Moto G but I like 'actual' buttons on a phone and I can't be bothered with import phones (I like warranties!!)
THanks
finnmaccool to therealjohnpeat
13 Nov 15#167
Have you got girly hands?
Naith
13 Nov 151#166
Tried to order on website to pick up. Went through new account procedure but it wouldn't let me create one. Can't complete transaction. Utter tosh, Voda if you ask me...
Lukedotv
13 Nov 15#165
whats the SOT?
elbs
12 Nov 15#164
with a flip case on, it doesn't fit in the pocket of my formal/work black TROUSERS or rain jacket.
i also generally found it to be a bit laggy - due to poor software optimisation i suspect as the hardware specs are great. it runs less smoothly out of the box that my 2 year old moto G 1st gen with its significantly worse specs (which incidentally has already received the android 5.1 OTA update).
Rhythmeister
12 Nov 15#163
Ffs, I just paid £115 at the weekend :disappointed: It's worth every penny of that though!
busterdan
12 Nov 15#162
There is a lot more to CPU's than speed.... generally it seems the Mediatek CPU have little research and development so are less optimised than say the Snapdragon alternatives. Consequently the devices do not always run well or reliably.
nige182
12 Nov 151#161
Far better customer service from Amazon, or the ability to put the Amazon link into Flubit to potentially get it even cheaper, though for a while at least Flubit refused to beat the price on this handset for the following reason:
bargainhunter666
12 Nov 15#152
Much appreciated if someone could tell me when Amazon Price match..
borofan47 to bargainhunter666
12 Nov 15#160
Why does it matter if and when Amazon do a price match on it? It is still locked to Vodafone, so you won't get it sim free from Amazon.
nige182
12 Nov 15#159
If you mean Amazon when it was last on offer at Vodafone, they had the silver one on backorder and a few of us asked Amazon to price match using the function on their site, the response was essentially that they wouldn't match a temporary sale price.
229mel
12 Nov 15#158
Nah I'm sweet, will rock my first gen moto g with smashed screen till some good deal pops up , not spending £100 on a new phone at the moment to get exactly what?
dz1
12 Nov 15#157
The Mediatek CPU in the redmi note 2 is 50% faster than the one in the Smart Ultra 6.
umeid
12 Nov 15#156
Great phone I bought few you can unlock it from eBay just £3 .
bargainhunter666
12 Nov 15#155
? They had no stock!
andreas0013
12 Nov 15#149
Do you guys think it can go any cheaper during black friday? I mean, this is already too cheap
therealjohnpeat to andreas0013
12 Nov 15#151
It WILL be cheaper at some point in the future - that's guaranteed - I'd not wait for some small-scale hard-to-get sale to save £10-20 but YMMV
nige182 to andreas0013
12 Nov 15#154
Nobody will know for sure, I suspect only as far as £99 if at all though. I would guess that if Vodafone are doing a Black Friday sale, they will either not include this handset or will put the price up again between now and then and then drop it to £99 so they can say it is under £100.
As for Amazon price match, I expect they will wait a day or two to see if Vodafone announce somewhere that this is a sale for a few days or something, they refused to match the last one as it was deemed a temporary sale price.
ezman
12 Nov 152#143
Honest opinion - have a smart ultra 6, it's snappy enough, it's camera is a bit ****, it's screen is great though a bit too bright at its darkest setting, I bought it as a stop gap before buying a flagship but that gap is getting longer and longer as it actually is a pretty good phone for not a lot of money. I was intent on buying a nexus 6p but this could see me though till next autumn i reckon.
ohdearohdear to ezman
12 Nov 151#146
Its* Its*
delboyd to ezman
12 Nov 15#153
Get the Nexus, best device you can possibly get your hands on at this stage... Trust me... I adore mine! Absolutely thrashes my Note 4 so much so I sold it!
therealjohnpeat
12 Nov 15#124
I realise this is slightly OT but - if you order something for collection in-store (as you might do this from a Voda Store) - do you still have the 14 days right-of-return (item as-new etc. etc.) or is that voided because you collected it (and thus could inspect it) in the store???
opaninkofi to therealjohnpeat
12 Nov 15#126
its not a store purchase so still have your 14 days return rights
Argoj to therealjohnpeat
12 Nov 15#148
If you collect from store then vodafone can refuse you DSR. You will still have a cooling period for the contract. DSR is all based around by ordering from a distance you do not have an opportunity to inspect the goods. If you pick up from store then you give up this right as you have a chance for inspection while you are in the store. You can also loose rights to DSR if you make the mistake of telling a seller that you bought from online that you choose the goods instore before ordering.
It would be a bit picky for a retailer to take this stance but some have.
I_SHOULD_COCO
12 Nov 15#147
Best feature so far ?
I can turn off apps that auto load at startup
plus the battery saver really works well
COCO
Marekj
12 Nov 15#145
I think you've missed the point, not me. Re-read the post a few times and you'll understand.
wildecat
12 Nov 15#144
Works on all UK 2G/3G/4G
Will only work partially in North America / Oz & NZ as they use 850MHz for 3G & 700MHz for 4G. It doesn't support either.
therealjohnpeat
12 Nov 151#142
The Moto G3 is made in China too and ZTE (the Ultra's maker) have an OK reputation tbh
Both phones are chinese (essentially ALL phones are chinese) and ZTE (the ultra's maker) have a decent rep, they've been making smartphones longer than Samsung ;0
It's a bit horses-for-courses between the U6 and MotoG3 - the U6 has "proper buttons" which matters to me (I hate soft buttons with a vengence) but the Moto has a 'cleaner' Android install and is more likely to see updates/has more support in the mod/root/ROM community
I suggest you get both, try both, throw back the one you like less tbh
blitzmmccv
12 Nov 15#141
True story i have the Ultra 6 and i think its just a snappy as my mums S6 at doing stuff. Ok the camera on it is average but the day to day of the phone is fantastic it gets me through a full day of heavy use. Great screen ok it probably won't get the Marshmallow update but does it really matter for a £100 phone its awesome. When the new one comes out it (Im guessing there will be a new version) won't be a fortune to upgrade to the new one with Android Marshmallow no doubt.
sio
12 Nov 15#139
I've had this phone for a couple of months and I think it is great, everything runs nice and fast. Managed to get a cheap unlock from ebay and there wasn't that much bloatware on there.
evansnarty
12 Nov 15#138
folks please email Vodafone ( for update the phone was suppose to be 5.1 lollipop out of box it never happened ! please email Vodafone for update its very laggy !!!
therealjohnpeat
12 Nov 15#134
So as long as you buy it 'through the website' I guess you're covered - but if it's a reservation/pay-in-store deal (as Argos used-to-be?) it might be different?
I actually raised this is a separate question through the 'Ask' option - thanks for replying to my cheeky thread hijack tho!
freddy871
12 Nov 15#132
will i be able to unlock this for giff gaff sim ??
rev6 to freddy871
12 Nov 15#133
Yes.
rugman
12 Nov 15#131
shame no dual sim on this phone, will stick with the moto g 2nd gen, but cracking phone for those who dont need dual sim. Had a play with this in the vodafone store today, it's very nice, the only slight isseu I could see was slow autofocusing on the camera, but a small detail
montana78
12 Nov 151#130
Updated spec on main post
5.5 inch 1080x1920 screen
13mp auto focus camera
5mp front camera
Snapdragon 615 processor (Up to 1.7 GHz octa-core)
3000 mah battery
freccle
12 Nov 15#123
Can it be unlocked (easily) to work on 3?
ukwizard to freccle
12 Nov 15#129
Yes, Ive used mine on 3. You have to get an unlock code from eBay, then you pop your 3 sim in, turn it on and it asks for the code and you enter it.
ohdearohdear
12 Nov 15#128
How is this compared to my ageing Galaxy Note N7000?
winchman
12 Nov 15#125
I see a useable phone that a great deal of people are happy with. If people want to be blinded by marketing and pay £500 for something fancy that's up to them. I think they are mad!
Joe90_guy
12 Nov 15#46
Like a lot of others, I bought my SU6 when it was £99 and love it to bits! Camera on full zoom is a bit pants, the speaker is slightly tinny and I doubt whether we will ever get a software update (although an upgrade from 5.0.2 to 5.1 is rumoured), but hey, for just one hundred notes, this phone is a superb deal! Heat added...
anthony401 to Joe90_guy
12 Nov 151#55
I have this phone and like it but the camera with NO zoom is pants. I've tried 4 camera apps but have settled with the A better camera app. Taking a HDR picture with it is painfully slow. If I'm out and know I will be taking a picture I take my Nexus 5 or a stand alone camera.
Gollywood to Joe90_guy
12 Nov 15#121
Thats lots of negatives. What are the good points?
elbs
12 Nov 151#117
make sure you try this phone in your hand before you buy... it's massive.
got one on the previous deal but was far too big to fit in my jacket/trouser pockets, ended up gifting it away.
wellhellothere to elbs
12 Nov 15#120
You must have small pockets, fits in my H & M jeans OK.
Megacamz
12 Nov 15#119
Not bad for £100
Os7
12 Nov 15#87
surely for extra £15 the xiaomi note 2 is a lot better.
Ad86 to Os7
12 Nov 151#88
Assuming the xiaomi is coming from China youve got to wait for it to arrive, pay import charges etc??
And then i wouldnt expect much in the way of a warranty....
It also doesnt work with all lte frequencies.
MrPuddington to Os7
12 Nov 15#118
How is Mediatek CPU better? Otherwise it has some advantages - if you are happy to order from China.
Biscuitman
12 Nov 15#114
Still not got my order from the £99 debacle....can'tbe arsed after also suffering the LG2 one from last year......Vodafone the worst phone company by far
MrPuddington to Biscuitman
12 Nov 15#115
Try again - most people got it. The system is shocking, but if it works, nobody cares.
RAndyVee
12 Nov 151#113
Ironically for my wife, the low likelihood of updates is actually a good thing :wink:. On her N4 she steadfastly refused to upgrade Android versions, despite the regular flow of them, it being a Google device. For me, whilst it bugs me I'm unlikely to get Marshmallow, the days of me habitually flashing stuff have gone since my employer's rules for work email started locking down on things like root access. These days I just go for slick simplicity, rather than super tweaked ROMs.
Anyhow, ordered another SU6 for collection today; turned up; waited 30+ minutes as part of their queuing system to see somebody; it was actually there this time (unlike my last experience of click and collect); sorted! Unlocked and new Tesco SIM installed and on the network. Just waiting for the SIM transfer to happen from her N4 and all done.
Megacamz
12 Nov 15#111
How much RAM has this got?
shyguy91 to Megacamz
12 Nov 15#112
2GB
redbiro
12 Nov 151#33
Any ideas how to remove Vodafone software & apps?
Milki_bar_Kid to redbiro
12 Nov 15#35
Most of them can be uninstalled the normal way. The one or two that are left can be disabled.
mcrobbj to redbiro
12 Nov 15#110
You can remove most of them, I think I am stuck with just one now ( dont know why they dont allow you to remove them all) just use settings and remove. Google Authenicator still doesnt work apart from that I have been very impressed. Miles better than the s3 it replaced, and only a couple of quid to unlock via ebay. Also takes the 128GB cards.
das5665
12 Nov 15#109
Show me a better phone for the price then. Without using some Chinese site that takes 2 months delivery
Bartaz96
12 Nov 15#108
i just bought this off of vodafone online for £125 this week! is there any chance i could get refunded the difference?
MLAM
12 Nov 15#107
Heat for this one.
I got one when it was £99 and £2.94 later unlocked it, I am on O2 so had that sim in it and works a treat, the antenna doesn't seem as strong to pick up 4G indoors for me but out doors its fine.
Great phone for its price, screen is really good too.
po57405k
12 Nov 15#106
Was the phone bought from voda or Amazon?
bankerscum
12 Nov 15#104
No, I see a budget phone with a budget chipset over a year old. I see a phone that will not get an update, I see a £100 or less phone. I see iffy build quality too. Read the reviews!
Maybe you are the blind one?
[email protected]/*
12 Nov 15#101
big plus for is the battery which is far better than Samsung.
emmatthew
12 Nov 15#99
Just a warning I purchased an unlock code before trying the phone.
When I turned the phone on it did not need one (using Three)
So wasted £3
alonzomartini
12 Nov 15#98
Just ordered one, picking up in the morning.
Hope the Ebay unlocking goes ok !
1spoon1
12 Nov 15#97
Ordered so thats one down one to go, the other is hopefully being ordered from Tesco if they ever drop their stupid price and have it in stock! If not can anyone recommend another phone from Tescos in the same price bracket of £100/£130? Thanks (Tesco boost vouchers to spend)
shyguy91
12 Nov 15#96
Anyone know if there's any truth in the warranty not being valid if you unlock? Really want to buy this but that comment put me off.
sumitkd
12 Nov 15#95
Cool - I'll take a look at the "A Better Camera" one and see what the results are - sure it will be better than the stock one!
frownbreaker
12 Nov 15#94
Purchased one last time it was this price, bargain, cost a custom case on Ali Express for this phone £1.88 in del from China, Unlock from Ebay.
Lovely phone.
jaydeeuk1
12 Nov 15#93
If the other place involves gearbest then this. Even if you're somehow fortunate to receive the phone this side of xmas, and it gets through unscathed and as advertised, if you have any fault, bad pixels, poor battery etc gearbest CS will just laugh at you. They might appear to be highly rated but 1) they remove bad reviews and ban customers and 2) they pay customers to leave a good review, usually a $5 voucher. They pay some of the highest rates of commission though - even more generous than amazon and ebay so obviously won't be banned from here.
Afnan
12 Nov 15#92
I just bought this 3 days ago for £115. does anyone know if I can get a refund for the difference? because I'm within my rights to return it and buy again at the lower price.
Ad86
12 Nov 15#84
Sorry not sure if its been asked earlier in the thread but do these work on all 4g frequencies?
rev6 to Ad86
12 Nov 15#85
Yes.
ukwizard to Ad86
12 Nov 15#91
Ive had the phone since September and can definately confirm it works on all the 4g frequencies here in the uk (ive unlocked it and tried it on all the networks), but it does not work on all the USA frequencies. I popped in a Three sim when we went over and it connected over there, but only 2g while my partners phone got 4g.
Its a good phone though, I bought it as a stand in phone while my Sony Xperia was being mended and ive not switched back. It gets a little laggy at times due to having 2 meg of ram I guess, but its fine considering the price.
Os7
12 Nov 15#90
yeh for a uk supplied phone the above voda su6 spec and price wise is a no brainer.
tevinsunshine
12 Nov 15#89
does this fone is working in france if i unlock it with ebay
thecynicalsaint
12 Nov 15#83
Hilarious way to massively miss the point! I'm sure the flagship 8850 is not better than this phone either!
jamiebeags
12 Nov 151#82
Marvellous phone. Great spot!
quizman
12 Nov 15#81
Got one of these and they are fantastic. Quick as lightning. I paid £125 so at this price it is a bargain
RebTheRebel
12 Nov 15#80
Tbh I've not used the camera hardly, but 'A better camera' app works well. Have a play around with some free ones and see what you think. Basically I meant that, yes the camera isn't the best, but that can also be down to the software the app uses. So have a play buddy. I will at some point.
76zedfour
12 Nov 15#8
does it do video out via mhl? i have googled but hard to find a definite yes
waynehardy to 76zedfour
12 Nov 15#9
theres a dedicated forum over at http://www.modaco.com the guys there will be able to answer the question
how would they know it was unlocked, I mean you would remove your SIM card and they would get it with a Vodafone one, and if they asked you could easily say that Vodafone provided the unlock key, there's no way in hell they would be able to prove otherwise they are that bad!
NUMBER8GAMESTER
12 Nov 15#77
Stonking phone for the monies, really love mine. Got the white silver rather than black because it was the only one in stock at the time and wasn't sure about the colour at first but it's really grown on me and I think I prefer it to the black now.
rev6
12 Nov 15#76
I'm almost certain :smiley:
merb0786
12 Nov 15#75
This processor can only take so much. Slow down after a while.
RebTheRebel
12 Nov 151#74
Exactly this for me too. I get around 2 to 2.5 days use out of mine from a full charge with on screen time around 3 hours a day mainly using internet and the odd short call. I have had 4 days out of it though using the phone for about 40mins a day over that time and it still had 19% battery left before i charged it. The battery life on this is the best I've experienced hands down on a smartphone. Google now is turned off. Also really impressed with the charge time. Can charge from 0% to 100% in around 2 hours, happy with that. Also as for the double tap to wake, I thought the same as first. Then I found a reply somewhere on the net from ZTE themselves that said the phone is designed to only really wake on double tap when it's being held. Since reading that I have to say that's bang on. Always wakes on double tap whilst I'm holding it. Rarely when it's on a desk.
chazter5
12 Nov 15#73
This will be faster for sure
soled73
12 Nov 15#72
I cant get the Vodafone site to "work", so anyone know how I get Amazon to price match? is there a "button" to click or do I just buy, and contact customer services
lauren993
12 Nov 153#71
I have this phone, and have had it for around 2 months now. Wow. I've come from a Samsung Galaxy S3 which was getting on a bit, and you could barely get a day's heavy use out of it. This phone I can get 2 days very heavy use, and go a third day with 40% left on the battery. The screen is full HD and gorgeous. I was dubious getting this phone initially as I have had a 'cheap' phone before (a Huawei something or other) and it slowed very quickly. This phone literally never slows or causes a fuss.
I don't usually write reviews or recommend products, but this phone deserves the raving reviews. The battery life alone has been a game changer for me! The camera is the only thing for me that lets it down but meh it captures images good enough for what I need. Got it unlocked so I could pop my giffgaff sim in, and I get 4G no bother.
Naith
12 Nov 15#70
You're absolutely sure about that? Or would they make it as difficult as possible to have it repaired? :disappointed:
smico_wales
12 Nov 15#69
gutted I bought this for £125. I went from a iPhone 5s to this and its far superior. screen is amazing just stick a SD card in it and good to go
RosaCarrots
12 Nov 15#68
ordered! :smiley: great find :smile:
Naith
12 Nov 15#66
Would it be better to buy from Amazon so when unlocked can be sent back (if faulty) under warranty without a problem?
rev6 to Naith
12 Nov 151#67
Vodaphone can't reject the phone if was network unlocked, not legally anyway.
rev6
12 Nov 15#65
CM working well on this yet?
Milki_bar_Kid
12 Nov 15#64
Definitely not a wind up. My phone is on 24/7 and i always have 4G and gps on. On average i recharge every 3-4 days.
Overnight the battery loses barely any charge. Best battery life of any phone I've ever had by miles.
Cmberry20
12 Nov 15#63
Was about to buy one when I read this. One of the main reasons I'm want a bigger phone is to watch SkyGo comfortably, this is a complete deal breaker.
GeorgeR010
12 Nov 153#54
I posted this on a previous thread as I thought it might be useful to some people. Overall, a decent phone but my small gripes:
1.Double tap to wake is pretty inconsistent (works 50-60% of the time).
2.Occassional crashing (only twice so far) when installing apps and other small software niggles.
3. I don't particularly buy into the whole 'the battery can last two days with average useage'. Don't get me wrong, the battery is pretty good and can easily last a day. But two days with avereage useage? Hmmm, I would like to see the definition of 'average useage'.
4. If you have never had a 5.5" (154 x 77 x 8.35mm) phone before and don't have sizeable hands, you will struggle to use this with one hand. For example, I have to shuffle my hand up the phone to pull down the notification tray and then back down to access the back key. This isn't really a criticism as such, but more of a heads up about it's ease of use in the hand.
5. Poor WiFi connection abroad with the UK ROM. Wifi kept dropping when I was in Spain but when I flashed the Spanish rom, it was all fine and dandy.
Bigger gripe:
The audio quality through the headphone socket is merely acceptable. As I always play music through my phone, this is disappointing. My previous Chinese smartphone (Jiayu G3S) wasn't particularly great at this, so I thought this might come as a nice surprise. Unfortunately, no matter how much I tweak the settings through Poweramp, the sound seems very hollow and tinny, with muddy bass. Almost a deal-breaker.
Milki_bar_Kid to GeorgeR010
12 Nov 15#60
Never had the phone crash & I've found the battery will easily last 2 days with heavy use and has even lasted 5 days with light use and that's with 4G & gps on 24/7.
MrPuddington to GeorgeR010
12 Nov 15#62
I agree - you get a lot of phone for the money, but the quality is not quite the same as for example a Moto G or a top of the range phone. My battery lasts very well, I can do 2 or 3 days with light use. Of course the usual Android problem applies: it just takes one app to go crazy, and it will drain your battery overnight. And this is a phablet - using it with one hand is sometimes difficult.
I hope there will be an upgrade to Android 5.1. Of course I would like to see Android 6, but that would be wishful thinking.
GeorgeR010
12 Nov 151#61
5 days light use with 4G & GPS on ? U windin' me up m8?
itr786
12 Nov 15#59
I came from a s4 to a smart ultra 6.
The obvious difference is the biggest screen, and no physical home button on the ultra 6. but they're on equal terms in alot of ways.
The specs are pretty close to each other, battery life is far better on the ultra 6, and it charges far quicker.
The s4 has a better camera (ultra 6 has quite a poor camera in my opinion...)
Both have great screens.
I do consider the ultra 6 as an upgrade from the s4, but there's not a massive difference.
For the price, no brainer, even at £125 it's amazing value.
Marekj
12 Nov 15#58
The 3310 was never a flagship. It was basically in the same bracket as this phone; an excellent budget choice. 8850 or Communicator were probably the flagships around that time.
notavalidaddress
12 Nov 151#57
Wonder if they will cancel my order without telling me this time.
Grizzly1971
12 Nov 151#56
Bought one for the wife at the weekend and paid £115 for it..early days but seems a good phone for the spec. Pretty light to carry around. Screen nice and bright, nippy on the internet. She hasn't tested the camera yet but i'm sure it will be fine for what she needs? Like most other people i bought unlock code from ebay for £2.65 and case for £2.75 and either uninstalled the pre-loaded vodafone apps or disabled them. If it lasts a year ot two think she'll be more than happy.
Qrunch
12 Nov 151#53
S4 has a replaceable battery, this doesn't.
nattynooy
12 Nov 15#52
Got one love it, got 3 for the kids.
If anyone knows where you can get a replacment screen let me know
ukripper
12 Nov 15#51
I had S4 and don't recommend it, if you are not planning to install custom ROM it is no good with samsung's bloatware. I prefer 5.5 screen with lighter ROM and considerable spec. I'd never go back to S4 even if I get it free!
mr_geese
12 Nov 152#50
Lol it's older and still has better specs. As I said, camera, screen etc all superior. Depends on what you need... the SU6 has a bigger screen, the S4 has a good camera. I have it, even if now I use a Sony Xperia M4 Aqua because it's waterproof, and I miss the better screen quality of an Amoled screen (deep blacks), sensors like the IR blaster and the S4 supports OTG and it's on Lollipop as well. Processors wise they are similar. The S4 has more PPI as it's 5 inches and full HD whilst the SU6 is full HD on a bigger screen.
I am just saying the SU6 isn't miles better than the S4 like you are all trying to say. Tell me what it has that is superior.
pantaiema
12 Nov 15#45
Anyone know how much does it cost to unlock it on eBay ?
thanks
Daz13 to pantaiema
12 Nov 151#48
3 quid
RAndyVee
12 Nov 15#44
How incredibly well timed is that :smiley:. I've had one since they first came out, and totally love it. Great performance and a total bargain.
Last couple days my wife has been saying how she wanted to upgrade from her N4, and just this morning she was examining my phone and declared she'd have one just like it please. Duly sorted now, and £15 less than I thought I was going to have to pay.
shyguy91
12 Nov 151#43
Just that the guy in the post I quoted says the warranty isn't valid if you don't pay Voda to unlock, don't fancy buying a phone this cheap without a warranty.
thecoolguy
12 Nov 159#42
Nokia 3310 was a flagship too, doesn't mean it's better
mr_geese
12 Nov 152#40
The S4 is still better. Check the specs. Higher PPI as it's full HD on 5 inches instead of 5.5 (as well as super Amoled screen so better contrast), excellent camera, sensors like the IR blaster...
The S4 was a flagship, this one is a good budget phone.
wellhellothere
12 Nov 1511#38
Unlock is just over £3 on Ebay, used it for mine, no problem.
Thanks, ordered one but be aware that delivery is within 1 - 2 weeks, collection from store also 1 - 2 weeks :disappointed:
thelatics
12 Nov 153#36
It's not HUKD, its Vodafones AWFUL website, it crashed, froze, took money off people over 100's of posts on the old thread when this phone first came out @ £125, don't expect to be able to get a confirmed order easily, it's really hit and miss.
And totally forget live chat it NEVER helps the situation.
shyguy91
12 Nov 15#27
Am I right in thinking these come with a year warranty? Build quality seems questionable as is expected for such a great price. Just wanting it to last me a full year. :stuck_out_tongue:
Milki_bar_Kid to shyguy91
12 Nov 151#34
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the build quality!
Milki_bar_Kid
12 Nov 15#32
I absolutely love this phone but one drawback now that i want to try a virtual reality headset is that because it does not have a gyroscope google cardboard cannot be installed. A big letdown!
neates
12 Nov 15#31
Does anyone know if this phone will work in Dominican Republic once unlocked?
SpamJavelin
12 Nov 151#30
Hmm, this or Moto G?
Fullerene
12 Nov 152#25
Good phone. I got this a month or so ago when it was £99 and been very happy. Bought one for my daughter too and unlocked both through vodafone (£20 but preserves warranty). Moving them both to Asda mobile which for me has better coverage - uses ee - and is cheaper than vodafone. Two minor glitches with the phone both easily resolved.First it would not switch on so performed a hard reset pressing volume down and on/off switch together. Second could not get it to connect to computer via usb. For this need to reset each time it is turned off in the storage setting - click top left of this and tick appropriate box.
shyguy91 to Fullerene
12 Nov 151#29
£20 each phone? Don't want to be on Voda because they're terrible, will wait for something else if that's the case.
ukripper
12 Nov 151#28
Definitely this. S4 doesn't come close to this spec.
gluke21
12 Nov 15#26
Just researching for a new mobile.
This and the Moto G are hot on my
list but at this price the Vodafone
will be winning.
RedDwarfIsCool
12 Nov 15#24
I know lol - the early bird catches the worm and all that :stuck_out_tongue:
Os7
12 Nov 15#19
This or 32G Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 (£116 on other hukd thread)?
for the record i got the Xiaomi this morning so asking more for information than anything... voted hot regardless...
po57405k
12 Nov 151#18
Unlock for a few quid on ebay. I'll be doing it tomorrow morning for 3. mate did it the other day on took a total of 2 hours to wait for the unlock code. easy
RedDwarfIsCool
12 Nov 15#12
15mins later and 3rd time trying to order and the website has just crashed. Great
morrig to RedDwarfIsCool
12 Nov 15#15
Those damn HUKD users don't you just hat... oops,I mean love em.
po57405k
12 Nov 15#14
Been waiting for this price, just ordered and picking up in the morning, unlocked by lunch and rolling on 3 from then on in.
Creative666
12 Nov 151#6
Got it, love this phone
czrsiNk
12 Nov 15#5
Love this phone, have some HEAT.
RedDwarfIsCool
12 Nov 15#4
Excellent find OP. It was £115 for a while.
That's the wife's Christmas present sorted. Cheers
dessala
12 Nov 15#3
Very good deal. Missed £99 one. Still £115 in-store though. Unless they forgot to change the price tag. Thanks.
gabinko
12 Nov 15#2
Bought one. Thanks
navneet1311
12 Nov 15#1
wow that a good find, was lookng for one when they where 115 and 125.
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
[I don't know whether it's that price in-store. If it is, Quidco are doing 3% in-store cashback so you could potentially get £3 cashback if you activate that offer before visiting. EDIT: Never mind, it seems in-store cashback isn't paid for PAYG handsets anyway...]
Amazon have now price-matched this!
Black: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013F8UJRM
Silver: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013F8UIX2
Thanks to RedDwarfIsCool who posted that in a separate deal: http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/black-silver-smart-ultra-6-100-delivered-amazon-2322175
5.5 inch 1080x1920 screen
13mp auto focus camera
5mp front camera
Snapdragon 615 processor (Up to 1.7 GHz octa-core)
3000 mah battery
- montana78
SIM unlock will NOT void your warranty!!
Unlocking can also refer to Bootloader (rooting) and would void it (though they can't always tell) :)
- mrew42
Top comments
Pros:
• Amazing display. My god, it is excellent. Very high resolution, excellent viewing angles, easy to view in direct sunlight, can get very bright if desired.
• Very nearly a stock Android Lollipop experience. Apart from the pre installed Vodafone apps which can be easily uninstalled or disabled.
• Relatively speedy. Handles demanding tasks such as Google Earth quite well, although the occasional stutter was noticed.
• Sturdy and well built. The phone doesn't creak or flex at all and feels solid in the hand.
• Good speaker performance. Contrary to what a lot of people are saying, I found the loudspeaker to be perfectly acceptable.
• Very bright flashlight
• Very good battery life, even while using demanding applications. I was able to obtain 4.5 hours of screen on time under very heavy continuous use. This is something that cannot be achieved using my iPhone 6
Cons:
• It gets hot under demanding use. The top rear part of the phone can get quite warm when using Google Earth or demanding games
• Very slight lag can be observed in the animations, such as when pulling down the notifications menu - but nothing of any great concern
• The camera. Although very decent in good lighting conditions, it does suffer indoors in low light. You really do need to hold it very still to avoid camera shake. I have tried several camera apps such as the one preinstalled, 'A Better Camera' and Google Camera. All of which produce similar results but 'A Better Camera' has far more options.
I found that you can take pictures using the volume up key using Google Camera and A Better Camera but not the preinstalled camera application. Taking photos using the volume up key helped to prevent camera shake in low light conditions.
• No Sky Go compatibility due to Miracast being enabled permanently. EDIT: Apparently this no longer is this case and several people have managed to get it working!
Overall, despite its minor drawbacks, I found it to be exceptional value for money. The quality of the screen is its main selling point and I will definitely recommend it.
Actually unlock is now £2.29 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vodafone-Smart-Ultra-6-Unlock-Codes-Worldwide-database-UK-Ireland-Portugal-etc-/291523418914?hash=item43e0265b22:g:n24AAOSwuTxWAWgR
Latest comments (431)
And enter apn settings manually
https://community.giffgaff.com/t5/Settings-for-your-device/Internet-and-MMS-settings-APN-guide/ta-p/3489121#faq_no_1
Silver: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013F8UIX2
Just a question is there anyway to change the theme on the phone and can anyone recommend any good launcher interface apps
Also any recommend tweaks I should make or change to settings
there is also Google Now Launcher which is free
1. Switch ON your Mobile with a Not ACCEPTED SIM Card.
2. If your phone asks for a SIM PIN, it is not SIM NETWORK UNLOCK PIN so please enter your personal SIM PIN and press OK.
3. Phone will then ask for "Network unlock Pin/code".
4. Enter given Unlock Code
5. Your phone is now unlocked.
http://www.modaco.com/forums/forum/796-vodafone-smart-ultra-6/
It went up from £100 to £115 yesterday lunchtime, just as I was finding my payment card! :disappointed::disappointed:
Still waiting for it to drop to £100 again... if it does!
I removed and reinstalled Allcast and this time it did find my TV. However it won't cast photos at all (file not recognised). It will cast most (but not all) videos from my SU6. The video clarity is superb to look at but both the video and sound stutter badly. I tried BubbleUpnP which did more or less the same thing. I Googled the problem and it seems a lot of these casting Apps struggle with 1080p videos. Apparently it's all to do with insufficient bandwidth and poor bitrates. I probably didn't see the problem before because the Moto G clips are only 720p, not 1080p.
Whatever is happening here, it sound like it's not the fault the phone itself. I also noticed that the phone isn't flashing on YouTube today either. I suspect my BT Broadband might be having a bit of a mental breakdown!
However when I did have such apps installed on my old Android I was under the impression that BetterBatteryStats was the best. It's chargeable on the Play Store but free through XDA Developers.
Similar to AllCast, is AirWire by Wellink Ltd, from Google playstore. You may have better luck with AirWire...?
Also last night I noticed something else weird. YouTube was behaving very oddly. There was a pronounced 'flashing' when I was playing video clips. This only happens in full screen landscape mode. If I turn my SU6 to show the clip in portrait, the flashing stops. I think YouTube updated itself recently so it might be the App rather than the phone. Very strange...
I use a little freebie App called Allcast to cast stuff to my Panasonic Smart (but actually a bit thick!) TV. It has always worked fine on my Moto G and Nexus 7. However for some reason in refuses to work on my Smart Ultra 6 and cannot find the TV when it's searching for devices. Anyone any thought on this???