Mobile phones with one or two SIM cards are quite common. You won't surprise anyone with such devices for a long time. However, there are currently a lot of cellular operators that provide different conditions. Thanks to some, you can save on calls, the second offer cheap Internet, and the third offer a promotion for using communications in roaming. To save to the maximum, a phone that works with two SIM cards is not always enough.
What is the way out of this situation? Buy two gadgets. The first, for example, a smartphone will be used to access the Internet and for personal communication, and the second simple one will be used for calls at work.
But you don't have to surround yourself with a lot of devices. It is hard to argue with the fact that this is not always convenient. The only optimal solution would be a phone equipped with three slots for SIM cards. However, even here there are pitfalls. There is not much choice in this category yet.
Finding a device that will meet all the requirements of the user is simply impossible. As they say, you have to sacrifice something. Manufacturershave not yet decided to implement this technology in all their models. Such devices are found in the lines of BQ, Fly, Sigma, teXet, Philips, Nokia, Explay.
The hero of this article was the mobile phone of the last manufacturer. Explay Titan 3 SIM went on sale in 2012. It will not surprise the modern user with its characteristics. It is a typical push-button device for making calls. Does it have any special features? Let's figure it out together.
Package set
Review Explay Titan let's start with the package. The packaging of the phone has a rather stylish design. The manufacturer has chosen matching colors. A white tone was used as the basis, which is rather unusually tinted with blue elements of an unusual shape located at the bottom of the box. On the front panel flaunts the image of the phone. In the upper left corner, three SIM cards are presented, which indicate the advanced capabilities of the device. Next to it is the name of the manufacturer and the model itself. Not without an advertising slogan, which reads: "A stylish phone with three active SIM cards." There is a brief description on the side end.
The phone is packed in the box. All necessary documentation is attached to it. Also included is an entry-level headset, battery, interface cable and charger. It is worth noting that the presence of headphones pleasantly pleased buyers, especially given the low cost of the gadget.
Appearance features
The Explay Titan phone looks like most of these mobile devices. Case type - monoblock. By its size, the device can be safely attributed to the middle category - 117 × 52 × 14.3 mm. It is not very large, but it is not small either, which makes interaction with it quite comfortable. Users in the reviews say that you can wear it in the pockets of any clothing, be it trousers or a shirt. The weight of the phone (110 g) can hardly be called small, so for some it is still a bit heavy.
What about the body of the Explay Titan phone? It is made of plastic. Designers have chosen a beautiful color scheme. The line includes three options: black with silver, plain black, and black with gold. The last copy looks nice - it is moderately strict. But the model with a silver insert looks more formal. This option is more to the liking of the strong half of humanity.
Now let's look at the location of the connectors and other elements. The narrow opening of the speaker is located above the screen. It is covered with a metal mesh. The upper end has become the place where the audio port and the flashlight are displayed. The side faces are also equipped with functional elements. On the left side is the USB port. An elongated volume button is displayed on the opposite side. The course of this key is tight, clear. When pressed, a characteristic click is heard. At the bottom there is only a small microphone hole.
The back cover is removable. Most of its surface is flat, and the side faces are streamlined. At the top is the "window" of the camera. It protrudes slightly beyond the line of the body. The originality is added by a silver rim running along the perimeter of the lens. Below the manufacturer has placed its company logo. At the bottom of the lid, you can see a narrow elongated hole. Behind it is a speaker. Under this cover is the battery. By removing it, the user gets access to the slots. There are four in total. Three of them are used for SIM cards and the remaining one is for external storage.
Keyboard
Explay Titan is controlled by a mechanical keyboard. The block of buttons is located directly below the screen. The control panel consists of two soft keys and a joystick. There are also buttons with which the call is received and reset. They are on the same plate. By touch, only the joystick can be distinguished, since the rest of the keys are devoid of relief. The central button is programmed for four positions. Its inner part is strongly recessed inside. It performs a confirmation function. Users in the reviews claim that there are no complaints about the operation of the keyboard. All buttons work clearly, erroneous pressings are excluded. However, if you carry your phone in a narrow pocket, it often unlocks on its own.
The digital block consists of 12 buttons, which are located three on one plate. There are only four of the last. They are flat, the embossed designation is available only near the "5" button. Letters and numbers printed onblack keys. There is backlight, but it is uneven. The keyboard is comfortable to use, as the key travel is clear and moderate.
Screen: specifications and reviews
Continuing to study the characteristics of Explay Titan, we need to talk about the screen. The manufacturer advertises its model, focusing on the large display. Indeed, it is rather big, as for a device with a mechanical keyboard. The device has a TFT matrix. It is unnecessary to talk about its quality, since many are already familiar with the shortcomings of this technology. However, on a screen with a diagonal of 2.4 ʺ, the image is displayed in fairly good quality. The maximum resolution is 320 × 240 px. As for the color gamut, the screen is only capable of producing 262K colors.
Now consider the screen feedback. Most users believe that the manufacturer has installed a low-quality display in the device. It is not possible to read anything in the sun, as everything fades very much. The colors are not expressive, the brightness and clarity is not enough. Viewing angles received a lot of comments. They are very narrow. The plastic that protects the display is easily scratched, which affects the image quality.
Menu
Explay Titan is not a smartphone, so it does not have an operating system installed. The user is presented with a simple menu. It is the same as in most similar devices. The service line is displayed on the main screen. It contains the signal indicators of each SIM card, the battery icon and other symbols,indicating missed events. A little lower are shortcuts to applications that you can quickly access. The user can select them at his discretion. The clock and date are also displayed on the screen. If the machine enters standby mode, the current time is displayed on the black splash screen.
To enter the menu, use the soft key, which is displayed on the left side. Applications are displayed in a 4 × 3 tile format. A symbol is provided below each label. The joystick is used to turn pages.
Phone book
There is a phone book in the Explay Titan menu. It is designed for 500 contacts. Also, you can additionally use the memory provided by the SIM card. There are several items in the phone book menu: groups, all numbers, memory.
When creating an entry, the user is prompted to enter the name and surname of the subscriber. They are entered in one field. The maximum number of characters is 30. You can also save additional information, such as fax, email, home phone, and so on. If you wish, you can set an individual melody and picture for the subscriber.
Positive feedback noted the existence of a black list. Not all phones have it. If you enter a specific number into it, then calls will not go through. Finding an entry in the phone book is not difficult. The search is carried out by initial letters.
Call log
For the convenience of working with Explay Titan, a call log is provided in the menu. It can be accessed by clicking oncall receive key. In total, this item has three tabs: dialed, missed and received. You can also display information in a general list.
For all SIM cards, the magazine is common. The screen displays the number, name of the subscriber and the time of the call. There is also a special designation indicating which or from which SIM card the call was made. However, most users consider this icon to be useless. The fact is that it is very difficult to notice.
To make a call, you will need to select one of the SIM cards. But you can answer with any key.
Communication
Now let's talk about the features of Explay Titan. It is to support three SIM cards. This is the main advantage of the device. The developers have provided the possibility of assigning a name to each of them. You can also set certain functions. For example, from the first to make calls, through the second to connect to the Internet, and from the third to send notifications. This is what will help you save on cellular communications as much as possible.
Now we need to talk about the shortcomings. They include the fact that only one radio module is implemented in the phone. What does this mean and how is it displayed at work? Even with the fact that three SIM cards are installed in the device, only one will be active. The rest are automatically blocked during a call.
Battery specifications
What is the main element in a mobile phone? Of course, the battery. Item installed in Explay Titanpower supply, manufactured using lithium-ion technology. Its capacity is 1 thousand mAh. Let's take a look at the specifications provided by the manufacturer. The device on a full charge with standby mode can work up to 150 hours. It will be possible to continuously talk on it for no more than 5 hours, after which the phone will have to be connected to the network.
Now let's see what users say about battery life. In Explay Titan, although the battery is not very powerful, with an average load, you need to charge the phone no more than every 2-3 days. Music lovers can count on 15 hours, but only if they use headphones.
Camera
This model has a camera installed. Its capabilities are limited by a module of 1.3 megapixels. The maximum resolution is VGA. To activate the viewfinder, you will have to go to the menu. There is no standalone button. Shooting is carried out by means of the central key. In the menu, you can change the quality of photos, setting normal, high or low. In practice, this doesn't help much. Pictures are still blurry and dim. Many users do not want to evaluate the capabilities of the camera, as it is of little use.
Memory
Specifications of Explay Titan are rather mediocre. Memory in the phone is very small - only 16 MB. But the developers have provided a way to increase storage. We are talking about the use of drives with a capacity of 16 GB. In the reviews, users note that the phone works well with such memory cards. Recognition is fast and, most importantly,correctly. No freezes or malfunctions were noticed.
How to flash Explay Titan?
It happens that over time, malfunctions appear in the phone. As a rule, they do not indicate any damage. Advanced users recommend fixing problems in the system by simply changing the firmware. You can do this both on your own, but this is associated with certain risks, and in a service center. When using the services of professionals, you will have to fork out. For those who do not have the means, you can try to take a chance. The Explay Titan firmware algorithm is suggested below:
- Turn off the device and remove the battery.
- Download firmware file to PC and unzip.
- On the phone, hold down the left soft key.
- Using a USB cable, connect the phone to the PC, but do not release the pressed button.
- Now you need to insert the battery while holding the soft key.
- Enter the firmware program on the PC and click "Start".
- Wait for the installation process to complete.
- After that click on "Stop".
- Turn off phone.
- Take the battery out and put it back in.
- Turn on phone.
Comparison with analogues
| Features | Explay Titan | teXet TM-333 | Fly TS107 | Philips Xenium X2300 | Explay Q231 |
| Dimensions, weight | 117.1 × 51.5 × 14.3mm, 110g | 110.5 × 49 × 12.6 mm, 100 g. | 118.2 × 49.3 ×14.8mm, 83g | 119.6 × 50.5 × 15.7 mm, 110 g. | 114.5 × 59 × 11.5 mm, 105 g. |
| Material | Plastic | Plastic | Plastic | Plastic | Plastic |
| View, year of issue | Monoblock, 2012 | Monoblock, 2013 | Monoblock, 2013 | Monoblock, 2012 | Monoblock, 2012 |
| Memory | 16 MB + 16 GB | 8 GB | 2 MB + 32 GB | 2 MB + 32 GB | 32GB |
| Camera | 1.3 MP, 1280 × 960 px | flash, 1.3 MP, 1280 × 1024 px, | 1.3 MP, 1280 × 960 dots | 2 MP, 1600 × 1200 px | 1.3 MP, 1280 × 960 px |
| Battery | 1000 mAh, Li-Ion | 1000 mAh, Li-Ion | 1k mAh, Li-Ion | 2000 mAh, Li-Ion | 1k mAh, Li-Ion |
| Screen | TFT, 2.4", 320 × 240 px | TFT, 2.2", 176 × 144 px | TFT, 2.4", 320 × 240 px | TFT, 2.4", 320 × 240 px | TFT, 2.3", 320 × 240 px |
| Interface | Bluetooth 2.1, microUSB, FM radio, WAP browser, flashlight. | Bluetooth, USB 2.0, FM radio. | TV receiver, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.1, radio. | Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP support, USB 2.0, radio, flashlight. | QWERTY keyboard, Micro USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, TV and radio. |
| Price | 2500 rub. | 1000 rub. | 1200 rub. | 2200 rub. | 2400 rub. |
Explay Titan reviews
Having studied a large number of reviews about this phone model, it turned out to compile a list of disadvantages and advantages. Let's take a look at what users ranked as the latest:
- Sufficient ringer volume.
- Low cost (about 2500 rubles).
- Three SIM cards.
- Stylish design.
What disadvantages are users talking about? Here are the main ones:
- Mediocre camera.
- Weak speaker.
- Poor build quality.
- Bad screen.
The phone is pretty good.
