Comio X1 Note review: A budget smartphone with face unlock, fingerprint scanner, and good looks

Comio X1 Note
Rating: ***
Price: Rs 9,999
Specifications: 6-inch IPS 18:9 display, 2160 x 1080 pixels, quad core Mediatek MT 8735 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, dual SIM slots, dedicated microSD slot, rear fingerprint scanner, 13MP + 5MP dual rear camera, 8MP front camera with flash, 4G with VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, Android 8.0, 2,900mAh battery
Pros: Stylish & premium design, full HD 18:9 display, good rear camera, wide-angle front camera, good battery life, fast fingerprint scanner

Cons: Glossy back prone to smudges, sluggish interface, no fast charge support

Comio has been working hard at capturing some market share with budget-friendly smartphones. However, there were no midrange phones in the company’s portfolio. The Comio X1 Note fills this void and it is their current flagship for 2018.



Viewed from the front, the X1 Note looks just like any other smartphone with 18:9 display. What sets it apart is the back panel design. Comio has designed a 3D glass finish which looks very stylish. The silver-ringed circular camera module adds to the overall look of the phone. In our opinion, this is easily one of the best looking phones in the sub- Rs 10k category. The trouble with the glossy finish is that it is prone to smudges and picks up scratches very quickly. It does have a unibody design which feels good to hold but the back panel is actually plastic and not glass.

You get a 6-inch 18:9 aspect display on the X1 Note with a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The screen is impressive: it offers bright colours and wide viewing angles. We found it to be at par with any other device in the same price segment. Comio has also added a few useful additions in the software like night mode, different button layouts for the navigation bar and variable background colour for the navigation bar. If certain apps don’t run well in 18:9 full screen mode, you can force them to run in 16:9 mode.

On the hardware side, it has a quad core Mediatek 8735 processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. While we have no complaints with the RAM and storage, the processor is a bit dated (it was announced in 2015). It still manages to do basic tasks and run basic games without an issue. Trouble is, the interface tends to get sluggish very quickly. You may not notice it at first, but apps start taking extra time to launch and you can see frame drops while viewing the background apps (app switcher). Comio might be able to fix this with a software update and we hope that happens soon. To keep up with the competition, Comio has focused on the camera of the X1 Note. You get a 13MP + 5MP dual rear camera setup which delivers excellent results. The camera interface also has a dedicated portrait mode which sort of works. By that we mean that the edge detection is not great, but the bokeh effect is excellent. As with most smartphones in this price range, the X1 Note also tends to show a lot of noise when used in low-light. A handy one-hand mode in the camera interface moves all the icons to the left or right side for ease of use. Front camera is above average — the 8MP wide angle camera with front flash takes good selfies even though at times images are low on detail.

The X1 Note comes with Android 8.0 and runs a near stock interface. There are a few pre-loaded apps but they can all be uninstalled. A ‘smart manager’ in the Settings area lets you control apps, power, storage and memory usage. Face unlock is also available along with fingerprint scanner. The fingerprint scanner works great, but face unlock is a hit and miss. In low light, the face unlock didn’t work for us 70% of the time. With a high amount of ambient light, it takes to 5 seconds to identify and unlock (while other phones were unlocking instantly). We found it better to use the fingerprint scanner only.

The 2,900mAh battery managed to last from 9 am to 9pm which is impressive. However, there is no fast charge support. Overall, as a flagship device, the X1 Note brings Comio almost at par with prevailing brands such as Xiaomi and Honor — we just hope they fix the software sluggishness via updates soon. At the same price, the Redmi Note 5 offers a metal unibody, bigger battery and faster Snapdragon 625 processor. The Honor 7C at the same price offer metal unibody, smoother experience and equivalent dual camera performance.