Earlier this year, upstart Hyve mobility launched the Storm and Buzz smartphones. Following it up, the company yesterday launched the Hyve Pryme which is a decidedly more upmarket handset from the brand. Here’s our hands on with the new Hyve Prime.
Hyve Pryme specifications
- 5.7-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD 2.5D curved glass display
- 2.3GHz Deca-Core MediaTek Helio X20 processor with Mali-T880MP4 GPU
- 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, expandable memory up to 200GB with microSD
- Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
- Hybrid Dual SIM (micro + nano/microSD)
- 13MP rear camera with dual-tone LED Flash, f/2.0 aperture
- 8MP front-facing camera with LED flash
- Fingerprint sensor, Infrared sensor
- Dimensions: 154.8 x 79.9 x 8.35mm; Weight: 188g
- 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS + GLONASS, USB Type-C
- 3500mAh battery with fast charging
At first glance the Hyve Prime appears to be a particularly large phone due to the massive 5.7 inch display on offer. The screen has a Full HD resolution and sports 2.5D curves around the corners. Unfortunately the contrast ratio and brightness levels leave something to desire and everything looks just a bit washed out.
Up above the screen is an 8 MP camera alongside a rather small LED flash. The phone also avoids capacitive keys and uses on-screen controls instead. In light of that, we certainly would have preferred smaller bezels.
Under the hood here is a 2.3Ghz deca core Mediatek Helio X20 processor and 4GB of RAM. Moving on, over on the right hand side you’ll observe the volume rocker and power button. There’s not much give here and generally, the tactile feedback is rather disappointing. The microUSB charging port lies at the bottom. Over on the left is the hybrid SIM slot and can take both micro and nano SIM cards. Finally, at the top of the phone is the 3.5mm audio jack as well as an infrared port which we find really handy.
The back of the phone is where you can spot the fingerprint reader as well as the 13MP camera paired with a dual tone LED flash. Under here lies the large 3500 mah battery.
The phone runs an almost stock build of Android 6.0 with few modifications that don’t really interfere with the experience. This is similar to what we observed and appreciated on the Hyve Buzz and Storm too. In terms of storage, close to 24GB of the 32GB onboard is available at launch. Hyve promises to get the latest monthly security patches out as soon as possible.
The Hyve Pryme clearly points to the fact that the company has learnt a lot from it’s first release. The phone is a marked improvement on every level though the price of Rs. 17,999 might be a sore point for many. The phone will be sold exclusively on Amazon starting 20th November. We’ll have a full review for you soon.