arrows N F-51C review. Cacophony from planning

　Fatal dissonance that can be heard from planning and parts selection.

　NTT DoCoMo released FCNT's Android smartphone "arrows N F-51C" on February 10, 2023. The price is $716. I bought it on the release date, so I will review it.

　The decorative box uses FSC-certified paper and biomass ink. It claims that you can throw away the whole box as it is, but I think it's better to keep the box because it's necessary even when selling it on the used marke　The bezel is thick. The punch hole is slightly larger. Both ends of the front face are flat.　Recycled aluminum frame on the sides. It is also safe that the housing is compatible with MIL standards. As a whole, it had a very good feel to the touch, and I was impressed with the smooth, matte finish. I feel that the color of the gradation is also quite good.

　Speaking of arrows, it is difficult to use due to the irregular placement of the volume button under the power button, but this unit is easy to use with the orthodox placement of the volume button firmly above the power button. The side power button and side fingerprint authentication can also be used without problems. It is also possible to unlock with face recognition of the in-camera.　Many mid-range models have an earphone jack, but this unit does not have an earphone jack.

　On the back, unlike Sony's central manufacturer logo, this unit has the docomo logo in the center. The back of the housing is recycled plastic. I was very surprised to think that the white lines that are characteristic of blush navy were already opened and had scratches on them, but they said they were inspired by recycled plastic. It was different from what I had imagined, and it's a place where you might like or dislike it, but I personally like it because it's original and it feels like it's quaint.　I was also concerned about the back. I feel that it gets dirty quite easily. High-end terminals with frosted glass are more resistant to fingerprints and are less noticeable.

　The fact that it is easy to get dirty and it tends to be noticeable is also felt in the Zenfone 9, which has a smooth texture that is made of a material that combines polycarbonate and polyurethane. Like the Zenfone 9, the recycled plastic arrows N may also need to be cleaned regularly. You don't have to hold back too much just because it's officially declared to be washable. Both can be cleaned by washing and rubbing with a towel, such as when taking a shower. Use it in the bathroom at your own risk.

　However, after using the Zenfone 9 for 3 months after washing it properly, I can feel the texture change. There is some concern that the longer you use it, the more unpleasant it will deteriorate, but Japanese manufacturers tend to be good at processing and painting technology, and in the Fujitsu era, it is actually resistant to scratches. We have introduced a painted ultra-tough guard, and FCNT claims that this model can be used for 4 years, so I think we have no choice but to look at this point with a long-term perspective. Personally, I prefer non-glossy, frosted glass-like, and challenging new materials, rather than glossy plastic, which looks and feels uncomfortable with fingerprints, so I will continue to use and check this machine in the future. I think I'll do it.　In addition, the recycled aluminum on the side is not so dirty, and I think it is well finished.

Performance

　A feeling of movement is not bad. Among the high-drive Snapdragon 695 machines, it is rather a good fight. Scrolling is generally comfortable even on somewhat heavy Twitter.　However, if you use it for a long time, there will be scenes where the frame rate drops when you start the application / return to the home screen, or when the quick setting panel of the notification bar becomes heavy, so there are also excessive expectations. It may be prohibited. If you don't expect too much, you'll think it's pretty good.

• AnTuTu v9.4.4: 398757
• Geekbench 5.4.4 Single-Core: 664
• Geekbench 5.4.4 Multi-Core: 1765
• Sling Shot Extreme OpenGL ES 3.1: 2937
• Wild Life Extreme Unlimited: 354, 2.1fps

　The CPU performance is not high at all, but it is not too low either. Then I think that I can go unexpectedly, but that is not the case. After all, if the SoC that matches the price range is not installed, bankruptcies tend to occur in various places as described later.

screen

　The screen is equipped with Samsung's OLED, and although the colors are slightly vivid, I feel that it is basically beautiful.　Perhaps the panel itself is a relatively high-quality one that also supports HDR. Checking with non-HDR source videos, I think that the image quality is not significantly inferior to the Galaxy S22 Ultra .

　However, although it is a high-quality panel, it does not support HDR video . This is because the Snapdragon 695 itself does not support HDR videos. Even though we spent a lot of money to procure the panels, I feel that it is a waste of treasure.

　In addition, although it has an automatic brightness adjustment sensor, the response is not quick, and there were times when I felt that it was difficult to transition to low brightness even in a darkened room, which was inconvenient.

software

　Recently, each company has been delivering updates to Android 13, but the OS at the time of shipment is Android 12. Since we have promised to update up to 3 times from here, we can expect up to 2 updates. 4 years of security updates.　There are three types of home screens: docomo LIVE UX, arrows home, and simple home.

The resurrection "cheating mode" is sweet

　Speaking of F's Garake, it was reputed as a cheating mobile phone with a powerful "secret mode" , but these functions have long been deleted on smartphones.

　This is a limited revival under the name of privacy mode on arrows We . When privacy mode is enabled, it is possible to "hide" the contact from the cheating partner. It is also inherited by arrows N.

　However, you can only specify to hide by phone number or by application. For example, you can't hide specific photos, hide specific people in your phonebook, or hide specific LINE users. You have to hide the whole app.

　Also, apps such as Google Photos, Plus Message, and Phone cannot be specified to be hidden in the first place. Not very practical. For the time being, I think that dating apps can be hidden, but it is impossible to completely isolate photos and videos, create sub-account messaging apps and operate them simultaneously and hide one as appropriate. In the case of similar functions of other companies, this is strongly achieved by using the OS's multi-user function and application duplication. Arrows N's privacy mode has the impression that it has become a decoration because the core function is absent.

　This time, after imitating Xiaomi's "Privacy mode assignment for unlocking with a specific finger", we also implemented unique auxiliary functions such as "Automatic ON/OFF switching of privacy mode according to location information". It's really a pity that it's still there, and I think it should have been developed a little more.

Finger units are recommended for FAST finger launcher

　FAST finger launcher was an ant function for models with in-screen fingerprint authentication. I placed my finger on the fingerprint area, and I was able to instantly launch an arbitrarily assigned app according to the direction of the flick, so it was smooth.

　However, in this model with side fingerprint authentication, that advantage has disappeared. After unlocking by placing your thumb on the side, a launcher will appear on the screen, so you will have to pick it up and press it, which will delay you by one tempo. Rather, the launcher comes out every time you unlock it, and it's even a hindrance.

　However, with this model, it is possible to assign " Launch any single application for each finger ". It seems that it can be used conveniently by not assigning any app launch with FAST finger launcher to the thumb that is commonly used, and assigning the launch of a single app to other fingers. For example, “ thumb just unlocks, index finger instantly launches Twitter, middle finger instantly launches PayPay ”.

　There is also a unique feature that allows you to use the memo app from the lock screen, but for better or worse, it's unnecessary. All you have to do is assign your favorite general-purpose memo app.

　Older PDA-type terminals used leftover keys to assign arbitrary application launches to "short press, double press, and long press", but if you want to revive that goodness in a modern and secure way, it's like this function. would be a great attempt. I think it's the best of the series of unique features.

Simple but memorable app pinning

　A simple and convenient function is "app pinning". When you press the history button, if you press the button at the bottom right of the app, only that app can be used. You will not be able to switch to other apps until you perform fingerprint authentication with a short press of the power button.

　Although it's not perfect, such as being able to see the predictive conversion text, I think it's convenient to some extent because it prevents other operations when handing the smartphone to someone else . However, the delete all button on the genuine Android app history screen is relegated to the left end and is very difficult to use. There is also a place where you want to place the delete button as well.

Too arrogant and irreverent d shopping that gets in the way of character string selection

　When selecting a character string, d shopping is displayed one by one, which is annoying.

　If you say "it comes out because you're using it", you'll still understand, but it wasn't pre-installed in the first place, and I didn't install it myself later. It is a meaningless specification that the function of d shopping that is not included is mixed . Just throw a link to the web version. It's not Internet Explorer full of advertisement-filled toolbars in the Heisei era's PC, so this is as expected...

FAST App Drive looks weird

　The function to keep frequently used apps in the execution memory and increase the startup speed is often implemented in OneUI and Chinese terminals as keeping the running state from the application history, but in arrows N, the setting screen is called FAST App Drive. to the mechanism to call from . To be honest, I think implementations like OneUI and Chinese terminals are more convenient because you can intuitively specify/cancel apps at any time.

　Moreover, every time the FAST App Drive designated application is started, a mysterious animation comes out and it is disturbing. It's a meaningful function for a terminal with reduced basic performance like this unit, but I think it's poorly implemented.

A single stroke is divided or a slide-in launcher

　Function call from the edge of the screen, which is common in other competing models. Compared to other companies that have various functions such as multi-window control and small window display, it is weak, but by making it a single function, it has the advantage of being able to launch an application with a single flick .

Super ATOK ULTIAS

　I know that Super ATOK ULTIAS, which is the standard IME of this unit, is for connecting existing customers who are not accustomed to character input, such as handwriting input can be called immediately, but it has a strong peculiarity and the number on the top row of the QWERTY keyboard When I flick the keys down, I tend to mistype the letters at the bottom, and I was worried that the key input vibration would be slightly delayed.

　I didn't feel that the conversion was smart enough to overcome the difficulty of use, and it didn't suit me, so I changed to Gboard and used it. Due to the above-mentioned problems, Gboard will be the standard, which is likely to be familiar to a wider range of people, but of course it will be left for existing customers in the future, and if both can be selected on the initial setting screen, both new and existing customers Isn't it pleasing to you?

　This is completely Docomo's fault, but it's not only inconvenient because the pictograms are poor and not compatible with dark mode, but it's really tough that the pictograms don't match in "IME, input characters, and display". I don't think they care about users at all.

camera

low overall standards

　Up until now, arrows cameras have been of a fairly low standard, but this unit cannot be said to be high.　Below, the left is a wide angle, the right is a super wide angle. Ultra wide angle has extreme purple fringing and noise. The wide angle has completely blown out the sky.　The wide-angle lens has a large 1/1.55-inch image sensor, so you can take reasonably good pictures outdoors in the daytime when there is little room for image quality processing.

　It is also easier to blur. During the daytime, in a bright glass-enclosed store, I was able to take a picture that looked delicious as it was when judging the food. If you look at the shrimp and pumpkin, it's easy to understand, but it's important to note that there are scenes that are difficult to photograph because they are easy to blur.

　I also get the impression that the lens is lacking in power or the resolution is poor. However, the optical system of smartphones tends to lack resolution and sharpness in general, so I think the problem is mainly on the image quality processing side. Below, the left is arrows N, and the right is Zenfone 9 with the same size image sensor. Although the overall impression of the image is faded, and the shadows have a lot of high-sensitivity noise, they are still doing well.

　All of them were shot in auto, but the problem becomes serious when the amount of light decreases a little, and the noise reduction is severely blurred, and the details and textures are skipped. You can see the poor photos. Arrows N on the left and Zenfone 9 on the right.

　Adobe Photoshop Express mode that seems to be implemented as an excuse to skip image quality processing. It seems that this is finally compatible with RAW delivery this time, but I don't feel any particular improvement in quality. It seems that the idea itself is unreasonable if you just throw a picture taken with a short shutter speed with a poor camera with low optical performance into a general-purpose application that is not good at developing. Above all, it takes 7 seconds to process after pressing the shutter even though the image quality is not good .

　Furthermore, video recording does not support 60fps and the highest image quality is FHD , which is unthinkable for a $713 smartphone. This is also a limitation resulting from incorrect SoC selection.

Other than image quality, the experience is bad

　The camera UI is still unmodern and hard to use . It would be nice to be able to switch modes normally with the tabs at the bottom, but I feel a little annoyed because I have to tap the tab on the left once to switch modes. The main photo tab isn't fixed either, defaulting to the final spec camera app mode for a while. However, if the screen is turned off and immediately started, the photo mode will return to the default. I'm confused. I think it's enough if you can select multiple frequently used items in advance, set the sorting order, line up the tabs, and smoothly slide to switch between them.

　Especially difficult to use is changing the angle of view. Since the icon position is fixed in a place that is not near the shutter button (vertical holding: right center, horizontal holding: upper center), it is difficult to switch when operating with only the left hand. It is unclear why the screen rotates only counterclockwise even though it does not have a shutter button

　In the first place, there is not even a button to change the zoom ratio, so it is necessary to pinch in / out with both hands . When held horizontally, the angle of view change icon also moves to the top, so your hand covers the screen. In addition, the AF shakes a lot during zooming, making it difficult to focus and the image quality is greatly reduced.

　And if you enable the setting that enables exposure compensation, there is an inconvenient specification that not only AI scene recognition but also night view mode recognition and HDR shooting can not be used.

　Furthermore, not only is the shutter sound extremely loud, but the AF sound is also extremely loud, making it impossible to concentrate on shooting . During shooting, the AF sound made passers-by stare at me with a dubious look on their face. The content of the self-regulation is to make the shutter sound, not to make it sound at a high volume, and there is no need to make a sound when focusing. The sound itself is cheap like a flip phone, and the speakers are not good enough to amplify the discomfort. Almost everything is not good from the shooting experience, so I think it is necessary to be prepared to completely remake it from scratch, including the camera UI, like Sharp, who has seriously worked on the camera and has greatly improved its evaluation over the past two years. increase.

You can now shoot even in the dark

　Although it can be said that it is the only one, there was a part that impressed me a little. Conventional arrows had the problem that it was not possible to shoot properly in the evening or in a dimly lit bar, but this has been improved by implementing a night view mode . Below, arrows N on the left and arrows We on the right in the evening. Compared to the 20,000 yen Arrows We, which often suffers from camera shake and can't shoot properly, it's a huge difference. It takes a long time to fix and process, and there is no way to transfer the processing to the background, so the weak point is that it greatly hinders the next shot. Although it is still naive, such as the roof, the image quality of the night view has made a leap forward that could not be imagined from the conventional model. Kudos to the developer for taking the first important step in overcoming some of the biggest challenges.

　It's been 6 years since the night view mode appeared in the HUAWEI P20 series, and it's easy to introduce it using a general-purpose library, and it's a natural feature even for low-end models. It can be said that we finally made an effort. With this device, the development team will be able to understand the basics of smartphone cameras, such as simply increasing the size of the image sensor and escaping with projectiles like PSX mode, and in the end the only solution is image quality processing. I think In fact, the night view mode is still inexperienced, but you should have felt a great response. batting average.

　The $856 Arrows 5G camera, frankly, left me in great despair. The $713 arrows N is also a dark, groping in the dark, but I feel that there is a ray of hope in it. From the next time onwards, I would like to ask for a drastic reform of the camera in general. Of course, it will also be important to select an SoC with an ISP with higher image quality processing capability.

acoustic

　Dolby Atmos Optimal Settings are enabled by default. The speaker is monaural. I think the sound quality is bad. It's a muffled sound, it doesn't sound a certain range, and it doesn't fit the price.

　It's about $285  and the speaker isn't that good due to the size restrictions of the main unit. . As expected, the sound quality is clearer than the $142 arrows We. The volume is lower than arrows We, but a line you can barely hear in the shower. Users may feel a little stressed when they are making videos and enjoying content such as YouTube where the volume varies.　The startup sound and notification sounds are a bit quirky and sticky, but I feel like the speakers are a loss.

battery

　Charging is slow. Unfortunately, it has not evolved much from arrows 5G. It is not suitable for people who often forget to charge or who use it heavily.

　On the other hand, it is equipped with functions that conserve the life of the battery pack, such as slow charging and stopping charging at a certain amount . It's a standard feature on ASUS Zenfone and notebook PCs, but arrows also has this. I haven't used it, but if you are attracted to the claim that it can be used for 4 years, you should check this point and activate it as appropriate.

　However, considering the price, I strongly feel that there should be an option that emphasizes quick charging while securing the charging time that protects the battery by controlling the battery instead of the charging specification.

communication

　This is also not compatible with DisplayPort Alt mode, probably due to SoC restrictions. Most devices that cost $713 are compatible, but users like me who use Nreal's glass terminals should be careful.

　In the era of arrows 5G / NX9, the SIM slot was changed to a type that can be opened with a SIM pin, but it was unpopular. However, arrows N has returned to the type where you can hook the lid with your fingernail to open it, just like the Xperia . I think this one is easier to use.

　Physical SIM is single SIM. Although it is a dual SIM specification that also supports eSIM, communication is optimized for DoCoMo's frequency band and is almost meaningless . Since last year, the mid-range to high-end models have advanced support for other companies' bands, and it is a pity that the specifications of this unit ignore the situation where the topic of roaming in the event of a failure or disaster is being discussed at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

　The author has introduced a Wi-Fi6 router considering the simultaneous connection of many models and the wireless transmission of PCVR that requires a large bandwidth, but the connection of the aircraft that does not support Wi-Fi6 is unstable. There were rare cases where it could be seen on this machine equipped with Snapdragon 695. Still, if it's a cheap model, I can put up with it, but of course other $713 class models are compatible with Wi-Fi 6, and this kind of thing doesn't happen at all, so it's comfortable here. increase.

Overall review

　When products of the same price are lined up, environmental friendliness may be one of the judgment criteria. However, I don't think it will be an element that affirms the price of more than twice the market price. In the first place, environmental sustainability itself is nothing new. It is nothing more than an issue that companies such as Apple, Google, Samsung, and SHARP have been working on for a long time, and an industry trend that has already begun.

　Although the difficulty of using arrows peculiar to arrows has become milder and there are some shining parts, I have the impression that there are many parts that are generally inferior to other companies. First of all, you should guarantee the quality that matches the price of $713.

　SoC, which integrates various parts such as CPU, GPU, communication module, ISP, AI processor, etc., is the core component of modern smartphones. The Snapdragon 695 looks "decent" only for the CPU, but other specifications are downgraded and inferior. Some of the various "dissonances" of arrows N are due to the SoC, which prevents the components from even showing their true potential. The Snapdragon 695, which was called the "missing stone" of last year's terminal, is an SoC installed in models with a list price of $142 to $356 and no matter how luxurious the terminal was made, the limit was $428. I mean, there was a good reason.

　Although I would like to expect it in the next work, it is difficult to recommend this model. We recommend another company's Snapdragon 8 series machine, which is reasonably priced and can be expected to have a certain level of processing power and operation even after 4 years.

　Arrows 5G and arrows N are projects that DoCoMo's intentions are strong, but both are subtle in terms of planning, and this is especially unreasonable in 2023. Even if the price originally assumed by the manufacturer is in a different range, it will be evaluated as a terminal of $713. After all, the fate of the future will depend on whether manufacturers can break away from excessive dependence on careers, develop plans that sincerely face individual consumers rather than B2B sense, and challenge other MNOs, MVNOs, and open market sales channels. think. When challenged properly, the market and users will appreciate it, including its commitment to the environment.