The Mark 1 is the first handset launched by a new company called Creo (the makers of Teewe). The Creo Mark 1 is using the MediaTek Helio X10 octa core chipset and comes with 5.5 inch screen with Quad HD resolution. This handset is priced at Rs. 19,999 and the key attraction is the Fuel OS that’s running out of the box.
Mark 1 Unboxing
Box pack content : handset, travel charger max output 7V / 2A, data cable, SIM tray ejector pin, user guide and service center information. Earphone is not included.
Design
The handset is using an aluminum plus magnesium alloy frame with glass on the front and back. This smartphone is heavy at about 191 grams and dimensions are 76.59 x (over 154) x 8.55 (mm). Because of the glass on the front and back the handset gets a lot slippery, you need to be extra careful with it.
Build quality and the finishing is very good. It’s using 2.5D curved glass (check video review) and also comes with corning gorilla glass 3 protection. There are 3 circular buttons on the right side volume rocker + power button, audio jack is on the top, dual SIM tray on the left and at the bottom you will find microphone vent, micro USB port and speaker out vent. There is a secondary microphone on the rear side.
This is a dual SIM handset you can either use a micro SIM and a nano SIM or micro SIM and micro SD card (128GB supported).
There is LED notification and following sensors – accelerometer, light, proximity, gyro and magnetic.
Display
This handset comes with a 5.5 inch LCD screen with gorilla glass 3 protection and 2.5D curved glass. Screen resolution is Quad HD that’s 2560 x 1440 pixels. Color reproduction, viewing angles and touch response are very good.
Memory and Storage
Mark 1 is loaded with 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage space. On the first boot you will get around 1.3GB free RAM and 24GB of free internal storage space. Apps are getting installed on the internal storage but there is an option to move them to external storage. OTG is supported.
Fuel OS
Creo Mark 1 is running Fuel OS based on Android Lollipop 5.1.1. It comes loaded with a lot of unique features and more such unique features will be added every month – that’s their tagline ‘A new phone every month’, also users can select what they want to install or skip.
Here are some of the unique features that comes pre-installed.
Echo
This is a built in answering machine. It is activated by default. If you are not reachable the user will get a pre-recorded message, they can then leave a voice message that will get recorded and stored on the smartphone itself. Users can at anytime go though the voice messages.
Sense
This is pretty interesting feature, just double tap the dedicated home button and the sense is activated, you can use it to search anything that you might be looking for – it could be on your phone or the web. The best part is that this method is even faster than searching for your contacts using the contact app.
Notifications 2.0 and Clean Inbox
These features will help keep spam out from their respective inbox.
Dual Max
With this option if a SIM is not reachable the call is forwarded to the other SIM.
Easy OTP
When you get an OTP password you need to remember that and punch it into the OTP field. With Easy OTP enabled you don’t have to remember, the OTP code is automatically populated in the required field.
Retrieve your Phone
This is another interesting feature, you will need to register for the first time. If your phone gets lost or stolen this feature will help you retrieve it. You can use the desktop or laptop to locate. You will not only get the location of the device but also the SIM number of the person using it, and this feature works even when the handset has gone though a factory reset.
Performance
This smartphone is powered by MediaTek Helio X10 octa core processor MT6795 64 bit clocked at 2GHz coupled with PowerVR G6200 GPU. Performance is smooth, but handset does heat-up. Max battery temperature I encountered indoors was 42 degrees and outdoor under the sun temperature rose up to 48 degrees when recording 4K videos. Gaming performance was also not that impressive, probably because of Quad HD screen resolution.
Benchmark
- Quadrant – 9362
- Antutu (64 bit) – 34522 | 3D score – 4906
- Nenamark 2 – 47fps
- Internal storage Speed – Read (181MB/s), Write (130MB/s)
- Multi Touch – 5 Point
Gaming
I tried playing the Asphalt 8 in high and medium visual quality mode. The game was clearly lagging in these modes. In low visual quality mode the game was pretty much playable. I guess it’s cause of the Quad HD screen.
Camera
Creo Mark 1 comes with 21MP auto focus camera using the SONY Exmor IMX230 sensors with dual tone LED flash and on the front there is an 8MP camera. Rear camera can shoot in 4K resolution and can record 120p videos in FHD resolution.
The slow motion videos that you record can be played using the default video player (speed mode normal, 1/2, 1/ 4 and 1/16), there is no option to export the video as a new video file that can be played on any media player. Users do get an option to share the slow motion videos with others users but for now 1/16 slow motion mode cannot be shared.
Camera quality is average, focusing at times is not that accurate and the focus – click – save process takes a bit of time. There is scope for improvement.
Rear camera sample
Front camera sample
FHD video sample
Others
Sound is loud and clear, in-call sound was also very good. I did not find any network issues. 4G, WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth worked well.
Battery
There is a 3100 mAh non-removable battery. Estimated continuous moderate to heavy usage is about 4 to 5 hours. The battery % drain when idle is also a little more when compared with other smartphones. But in general you will get over 1 day of battery backup with normal to moderate mixed usage.
Battery Performance (time / battery % drop / battery temperature)
- Running Benchmark app – 10 minutes / 3% / 37 degrees
- Played Asphalt 8 – 20 minutes / 8% / 39 degrees
- 4K video playback with full brightness (WiFi /4G on) – 20 minutes / 7% / 42 degrees
It took me 2 hours 3 minutes to charge the handset using wall charger from 1% to 100%.
Verdict
The Creo Mark 1 is all about the Fuel OS that indeed is pretty impressive, unfortunately the hardware is not performing up to the mark, especially with the Quad HD resolution. A lower price tag with a smaller screen probably 5 inch and 720p resolution would have done wonders.
Still Creo Mark 1 is not a bad option, though a bit pricey considering the performance.
Creo Mark 1 is available on Flipkart for Rs. 19,999.
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