Argos releases €300 Bush ’premium smartphone’

5 Aug 2016

Argos has revealed a new smartphone under its technology brand name Bush, priced in the mid-tier but billed as being a premium offering.

Costing just €300, Argos says its new smartphone, E3X, is armed with enough quality to rival devices at the top end of the market. With such a price point, if it performs as well as the specs suggest, then things could get interesting.

Argos smartphone E3X

Featuring a 5.5in IPS display and a 64-bit octa-core processor, the E3X pins most of its hopes on the camera.

With what Argos calls a “class-leading camera”, it features Sony IMX sensors and a 21.5MP rear-facing camera, with fast 0.3s focus. At the front, there is a wide-angle 8MP camera with flash, with both capable of full HD 1080p video recording at 30fps.

The processor is MediaTek and its 4GB of RAM “delivers premium performance for power users”, according to the company, with 64GB of storage quite a lot at that price.

Bush E3X

Argos has created the Bush E3X

“The E3X redefines what consumers can expect from what is traditionally known as the ‘mid-range’ smartphone,” said Alyson Lockley, director of marketing at Bush.

“We’re really pushing the boundaries here to deliver a truly premium experience at a price that’s affordable.”

Operating on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the phone sports a fingerprint sensor to unlock the home screen, using a micro USB Type-C connection and a 3000mAh battery.

There is no NFC capabilities, surprisingly, meaning any premium comparisons must be taken with some scepticism, while its fast-charge is not as fast as Qualcomm-armed phones such as HTC 10, Xiaomi Mi 5 or even the Vodafone Smart Platinum 7.

“With the E3X we wanted to deliver a smartphone that can appeal to everyone without compromising performance – from mobile gamers and power users to the selfie generation and families,” said Lockley.

“We’ve set a new standard for the mid-range market, and proven you don’t need to pay a premium price for a premium experience.”

Gordon Hunt was a journalist with Silicon Republic

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