Kata L1 Unboxing and First Impressions

Recently, the PHP 4999 Kata L1 Phablet was announced with a huge 6-inch 720p display with 1GB RAM and 8GB Internal storage. Hit or Miss? Let's find out!

Huge 6.0 inch display!

The 10 point multi-touch 6-inch display is huge and is powered by the MT6580A with the Mali-400 GPU with 1GB of RAM. 

Kata seems to be aiming for the phablet enthusiasts looking for a large screen at an a steep PHP 4,999 price. Let's see how it fares, shall we?

Kata L1 Specs

Display: 6-inch HD IPS 1280 x 720 resolution at 245 ppi
CPU: 1.3GHz MT6580A quad-core processor
GPU: Mali-400
RAM: 1GB
ROM: 8GB expandable via micro SD card up to 256GB (dedicated)
Back Camera: 13MP w/ AF and LED flash
Selfie Camera: 8MP
Battery: 3,500mAh
OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, LTE, Bluetooth 4.1, OTG, GPS, A-GPS, dual SIM
Sensors: gravity, proximity, light
Others: Fingerprint sensor
Dimensions: 154.5 x 75.9 x 8.5 mm
Weight: 180 g
Price: PHP 4,999

Disclaimer: This unit is seeded by Kata Philippines for our honest review.

Unboxing / Accessories

Documentation, Warranty card, phone, power plug, SIM ejector tool, earphones, power cord

The box has the same design language as most of Kata's 2017 line-up. It is brightly colored purple and red with the phone render and Kata branding in-front. At the back of the box is the regulatory information and more branding.

Inside are the phone, the 5 volts, 1.5 ampere charger, USB to micro-USB cable, IEM earphones, SIM ejector tool, 1-Year Warranty card and the documentation. 

The accessories are all made of the same high quality polycarbonate materials that make them all feel solid and lightweight at the same time.

Build Quality / Design

The middle plate is metal while the two outer plates are plastic

The large middle back plate is made of metal while the outer plates are made of plastic. It isn't noticeable from afar but as you look closer, the difference in texture is apparent. It has no mention of Gorilla Glass protection in front.

Audio jack slot on top

Only one of the grills has a speaker

Ejectable SIM card tray at left

Plastic power button and volume rocker at right

The design is okay. The design is decent. The front on the other hand is pretty. 2.5D glass covers the whole front of the phone. The bezel size is okay. It isn't 18:9 which is acceptable given the affordable price tag. 

The volume rocker and power button is made of plastic as well. The camera is on top with a single tone LED flash. 

The textured backplate is curved that makes it easier to hold. They way it curves is deep so it doesn't feel sharp when handheld. It may be too big for some people though.

Initial Findings

The 13MP main camera behind

1. The design is okay for Php 4,999. The larger middle back plate is made of metal while the whole of the front is covered by 2.5D glass. The curve at the back makes it easy to hold. The accessories feel solid. There are two speaker grills at the bottom but only one works. 

2. The MT6580A quad-core chip with the Mali-400 and 1GB of RAM on a 720p display will perform okay. On paper it seems that it won't blaze through apps. In our initial experience with the phone, basic tasks like texting, messaging and calling are okay but at this price point, it feels like we are being ripped off. Extensive testing needs to be done.

3. It uses the same version of Kata's Android based OS only now it is based on Marshmallow. They still use the same icons and the same Fish wallpaper. There are preinstalled apps like the VPN that Kata advertises a lot, Netflix and WPS office.

4. The main camera looks solid in bright light but in our initial testing it looks like it struggles with autofocus in low light. The same is found with the selfie camera but with noticeably less resolution. We would have to do more testing.

5. It has OTG, light sensor, but it does not have a gyroscope and an orientation sensor.

As of the moment 

The Kata L1 has okay design. It does however skip on some features like a gyroscope and an orientation sensor. The 2.5D glass that covers the whole front make it look good when viewed from the front. The backplates are made of metal and plastic and it curves nicely that make it easier to hold.

The 720p display with the MT6580A with the Mali 400 and 1GB of RAM is where this phone should be improved. It is obvious that these are below minimum specifications for a phone priced at Php 4,999.

We need to test it more soon before jumping into conclusion.

For our review: Kata L1 Review - Underwhelming Budget Phablet