Kata C2 Review – The Budget Kata Phone With Attitude

Kata C2 Review – The Budget Kata Phone With Attitude

The C2 is a decent entry level phone by Kata Philippines. From a price range category predominated by plastic/resin build quality handsets, the Kata C2 stands out with its metal build exterior and 5.5 inch HD screen. And while most users would be okay with the plastic finish and smaller screen given the price, who wouldn't want a little more pizzazz?

Kata C2 review!

Under the hood, this handset is made up of pretty standard stuff that also built up its predecessor, the C1. Generally it has a 1.3 GHz MT6580A quad core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 64 GB.

Here is the run down of what else we uncovered with the Kata C2.

Display Quality

2 points of touch

The handset flaunts a 5.5 Inch HD IPS 1280 x 720 resolution at 267 ppi which is great for watching movies and hi-res images. The size of the screen is amazing for a handset under PHP 4,000. The brightness levels are adequate and the color tones are at par with the other smartphones in the price range. However, the handset's display sharpness is a bit dull for a 5.5 HD screen.

Onto the multi touch functionality of the screen, the C2 only has 2 points of touch. For a phone with this size and specifications, We expected it that score to be in the 4-5 range. Though, even with that score, I did not have any problems with the adaptive response and typing experience with the screen.

Audio Quality

Single speaker below

The handset has 2 speaker holes at the bottom but upon closer inspection, one of those outlets are closed out. Fortunately the single speaker is loud and bolsters decent bass depths. On peak volumes, sound distortions would occur and and the slight grainy sound would be noticeable.

Using the headphone output, I was a bit surprised at how clean the bass sounds and tones were. The bass sounds are adequate to say the least and the level of clarity was great. There is also a surround sound effects in the build in music player is a also a great functionality that I believe a lot of people would appreciate.

Folks who prefer clarity sounds over bass prominent audio would appreciate this!

The built-in microphone on the phone works well for calls and other audio recordings.

Battery Life

Good battery life score for a budget phone!

The C2 houses a 2,600 mAh battery capacity which close to the standard for phones with 5.5 inch screens. Though that maybe the case, this handset got a great PC Mark battery benchmark result of 7 hours and 8 mins. For basic daily usage, the battery is sustainable for a whole day. Note however that high graphic usage would drain the battery faster.

Battery life is sustainable for the whole day!

The phone also has a standby intelligent power saving functionality that limits the internal performance of the phone while it is on standby which helps prolong the lifespan of the battery.

Camera

13 MP camera at the back panel
Don't let the design of the button fool you, it is not a fingerprint scanner!

The C2 isn't known for its camera but that doesn't mean its not capable of getting the job done. the The handset boasts a 13 MP f/2.8 w/ AF and LED flash which can be found at the back of the phone and generates good quality photos.

Photos can be taken using the usual on screen button, the volume up button, and the camera button under the rear camera. The shape and design of the button may mislead users that it is a fingerprint scanner. This button can also be used for increasing the volume and waking up the phone.

The phone has the basic features like the HDR and panoramic modes. However, the phone tends to be very sensitive to shakes especially with the HDR mode on compared to other phones. Focusing is hard as it is slow and sensitive. Stabilization is tough.

In terms of picture quality, the C2's camera delivers good colors on daylight with decent level of details. There are just times that your shots will be washed and grainy. Also, expect it to struggle in lowlight. Overall, it may not be the go to camera phone but it does the job when needed. 

Rear Camera Samples

Outdoor shot in daylight

Outdoor macro

Struggles in focus

Macroshot indoor shots

Lowlight shot

The 5 MP f/2.8 selfie cam on the front is average in comparison to the phones the were released within the year. The beautify effects do a great job and addition of the LED flash makes this a very good phone for those that enjoy taking selfies from time to time.

Selfie Camera Samples

Selfie cam canvas isn't wide enough

Selfie cam in lowlight

Performance

Antutu and Geekbench scores

The C2 is powered by a 1.3 GHz MT6580A quad core processor. With it, the phone is capable of running light to moderate tasks and be able to play some updated games for android devices without noticeable lags or performance degradation.

The phone utilized 1 GB of RAM. For normal day to day activities like texting, browsing, and light multitasking, the 1 GB would fit the bill. However, this limits the user's ability to play high performance games and running a big number of applications simultaneously. 

Having only 8 GB of internal storage, makes the use of an SD card a necessity. Without an SD Card, the users would need to uninstall other applications to make room for others. This also cuts out space for multimedia files such as movies and audio. Hopefully Kata would improve this on their future entries in the entry level category.

Internal Storage is a little steep with only 8 GB

The C2 already runs the Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS and includes a number of standard android applications. The phone runs the Kata built-in OS that serves as a launcher for the android OS. Note that there are no app drawers and all installed applications can be seen on the main screen itself. The wallpaper and layout may feel dated for some users but as with any android device, changing the wallpaper and widgets are easy.

The lock screen is that of the stock android with a number of security features ranging from patterns to passwords inputs. The rest of the connectivity options works well except that it doesn't have OTG support.

Pros – Beautiful aesthetics, HD screen looks good (but 2 points of touch only), battery life is great
Cons – Limited internal storage, camera focus needs improvement, no OTG

Verdict

For a phone with a budge friendly price tag, the C2 has the essential internal components that handles the basic mobile phone requirements. But due to the limitations posed by the 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage, this handset would be perfect for an interim or secondary unit. The metal clad exterior aesthetic is elegant and give the phone a high-end vibe which makes up for any small shortcomings functional wise.

Kata C2 Review – The Budget Kata Phone With Attitude
Kata C2 Review – The Budget Kata Phone With Attitude