After the long hibernation period, desi-handset maker, Kult came up with yet another budget segment smartphone in the Indian market named as ‘Kult Beyond‘. Does Kult with its Beyond smartphone hit the right chord? Let’s check it out.
Kult Beyond specifications
- 5.2-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD On-Cell IPS display
- 1.25 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737 processor with Mali-T720 GPU
- 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with MicroSD
- Dual SIM
- Android 7.0 (Nougat)
- 13MP rear auto focus camera with Dual LED Flash
- 13MP fixed focus front-facing camera with Dual LED flash
- Fingerprint sensor
- 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
- 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
- 3000mAh battery
Box Contents
- Kult Beyond smartphone in Black color
- 2-pin charger (5V-2A)
- Micro USB cable
- User manual
Display, Design, and hardware
The Kult Beyond sports a 5.2-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD On-Cell IPS 2.5D curved glass display. The display is bright, vibrant and the sunlight legibility is decent too. The color reproduction and viewing angles are good. Considering the price, Kult did a decent job.
Among the sea of similar looking devices, Kult Beyond is some what refreshing and unique. It is not sleek, can feel a bit of weight, but ergonomically fits well in hands. This device comes with a metal unibody design with a matte finish on the back that doesn’t attract fingerprints. Aimed at the low tier, Kult has managed to pull off a premium look for sure with this device.
Moving on to hardware, the smartphone has a 5.2-inch display with flash, 13MP front camera, and ear piece on the top. The bottom bezel doesn’t have any physical buttons as the company choose to have on-screen navigation.
On the right side, we have volume rockers, power/lock button. Moving top, we have 3.5mm audio jack, MicroUSB cable and at the bottom, we have a primary microphone.
Turning back, there is a 13MP camera module with flash similar to Motorola smartphones and a fingerprint scanner placed slightly below it.
It comes with a removable back cover, inside which, we get dedicated dual micro SIM card and MicroSD card slots. And at the bottom, we have speaker grille as well, which is quite decent.
Software
Moving on to software, the Kult Beyond is shipped with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box with Android security update for July, 2017. It runs almost on stock Android with few games comes pre-installed. The lock screen gives access to Google assistant and camera. Swiping up will give you the access to the home screen. In order to access the notification panel, you need to swipe it down from the top.
Moreover, the notification shortcuts can be edited as per user preference. It also comes with a Panic button, that is designed to alert somebody in case of emergency situation. Once enabled, the power key should be short pressed thrice, where the phone will initiate the call to an emergency number.
Additionally, it has a ‘SmartWake’ option where you can open apps by gestures. Talking about fingerprint sensor, it works fine when placed the finger on the module, but not the quickest one in the market to unlock. You can add up to 5 fingerprints. The dialer and keyboard are pretty much standard. The call quality is decent as well.
Out of 3GB RAM you get 2.8GB of usable RAM and 1.6GB RAM is free when default apps are running in the background. Out of 32GB of storage about 23.6GB of storage is usable.
Camera
The Kult Beyond sports a 13MP rear auto focus camera with Dual LED Flash. The front side of the optics is taken care of 13MP fixed focus front-facing camera with Dual LED flash as well.
The daylight shots are decent and struggle with low light images as they come out grainy. When it comes to Macro shots, it takes time to focus the subject, which is frustrating at times. Below are some of the sample pictures shot in this smartphone. Do check it out (Click the image for full resolution samples).
Connectivity
It has the usual set of connectivity features such as WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. It has 4G connectivity with support for 4G VoLTE for Reliance Jio . Both the SIMs support 4G, but you can enable 4G only in one SIM at a time, while the other goes to 2G. We did not face any call drops or any other calling issues.
Performance
In terms of performance, the Kult Beyond comes powered by a quad-core MediaTek MT6737 processor with Mali-T720 taking caring of the graphic department. Talking about casual usage, the mobile performance is decent but lags in between as well. Moreover, the device cannot multitask with fluidity as we came across hang when tried to change the apps. Overall, the performance is decent and not made for heavy gaming and intensive usages.
Battery
The Kult Beyond is juiced with 3000mAh battery under the hood. For a casual usage, lasts for a day including web browsing, WhatsApp, Facebook, Youtube, and calling. As it doesn’t come with quick charging tech, it takes over 2 hours to get fully charged from 0 to 100%.
Conclusion
On the whole, Kult Beyond is packed with a unique design and an average performance. At a price of Rs. 6,999, Kult Beyond is definitely the one that is worth giving a try. The smartphone is available exclusively on Amazon.in.