Smartphone accessory maker Icon Q is launching its first actual phone. The Q5.5 is an Android smartphone with a 5.5 inch display, an octa-core processor, and a $199 price tag.

That’s the price for an unlocked model that should work on most GSM networks including AT&T and T-Mobile in the United States.

q55_01

The price tag is probably the most noteworthy thing about the Q5.5, but the phone has reasonably decent specs for a budget-to-mid range device.

It sports a 1280 x 720 pixel display with support for 5-point multitouch input, a 1.4 GHz MediaTek MT6592 octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage. There’s a microSDHC card slot for removable storage, a 13MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, and a 2100 mAh.

There are a few special features, including dual SIM card slots, a charging port that’s at the top of the phone rather than the bottom, and a user replaceable battery.

The phone supports 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G. There’s no support for faster 4G LTE networks.

The Icon Q Q5.5 runs Android 4.4 KitKat software. While the phone should be able to support Android 5.x Lollipop, this is Icon Q’s first phone which means you can’t look at the company’s track record to see what kind of long-term support to expect.

That said, the Q5.5 does look like a decent alternative to a mid-range Chinese phone which might not work with American networks.

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16 replies on “Q5.5 is a $199 octa-core smartphone from Icon Q”

  1. no support for faster 4G LTE networks…when we they learn ???

    1. They just don’t care about the US market. I’m sure these phones sell 1000 in China for every 1 in the US, so there is little motivation to add the US LTE bands. But that is a bigger issue for a Sprint/Verizon phone than it is for an GSM phone, because 3G/HSPDA is fairly fast on GSM (ATT/TMobile.)

      1. I love that asian companies are doing more phone with US LTE bands… I am thinking this is going to spell trouble for Sprint/Verizon who have to have phones custom made for their networks. The US has the most backwards mobile market I have ever seen.. and it is nice that phones can be made cheaper with more open specs like GSM vs CDMA. I am vying for the ZenFone 2 because I am going to be able to switch between ATT/T-Mobile at the press of a button. In the US phones are too carrier specific and you have to carry multiple phones just to have access to different networks

        1. A Verizon LTE phone is like any other LTE phone (just with more bloatware). But Verizon likes to control which phones can operate on their network. If they don’t sell it, they won’t allow your LTE phone on their network even if the phone is capable. The Nexus 5 is the perfect example. It can operate on all the carriers LTE network, but if you didn’t buy yours directly from Verizon, they won’t let it on their network.

  2. Poor warranty, no LTE, small battery, does NOT support Tmobile’s 1700 mhz data band. I wrote an impartial review on their website and it was deleted. You can buy a better phone for less money. The Mediatek processor is slow and inefficient. For $200 they should have included a quality Qualcomm or Intel processor.

  3. I would much prefer to see some of the newer generation mediatek phones hit US shores. The MT6752 is more powerful and less expensive. Options such as this for $149 are promising (has the right 3G bands):

    https://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_152602.html?utm_source=shareasale&utm_medium=shareasale&utm_campaign=shareasale

    Now if someone can bring something like this and with reliable hardware/software to a US vendor then it would put some pressure on the current market.

        1. It should work on the AT&T (and Cricket) network at “4G” but not LTE speed. That means at about 6MBS (about 10X faster than 3G on Verizon or Sprint.) But sometimes sites list the wrong frequencies, so I’d wait for a review. Gizchina.com tends to have good, impartial reviews.

    1. Do you work for Mediatek? They make terrible processors. This phone is marketed as working on Tmobile but it does NOT support 1700 mhz so it has the wrong bands.

      1. I think hardly any Chinese market phones work on TMobile, not even the ones marked as their “International” models. But at least we are seeing more that work on ATT/Cricket, which is a nice network in terms of coverage and speed.

        As for Mediatek, it really seems to depend on what generation you are looking at. 2 years ago none of them had decent GPS or Wifi. While last year the 6582/92 were improvements, but still not the best in terms of graphics or battery life. But the consensus amongst reviews has been that they knocked it out of the park with this years new 6752 models in terms of value/performance/radio/graphics/GPS. COnsidering they are at the same price point as the Qualcomm 410’s, they really destroy them in terms of performance. They are similar to 801’s but for 1/3 the price.

  4. Maybe this instead of waiting for the Zenfone 2? Here’s to hoping Asus doesn’t go “1plus1” on us….

    1. Asus actually has an incentive to sell this phone.

      One Plus is a small startup business that was trying to limit their risk and exposure by making their phones in a small enough volume to not lose money.

      Asus said in a press release a few months ago that they plan to sell 10-15 million Zenfone 2 worldwide this year.

    2. zenfone 2 is already up for sale in Taiwan (the country that Asus is HQ’d in), so no, it’s definitely not the “1plus1” model.

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