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Low-end hardware does cheap, supersize Nuu Mobile N5L phone no favors

The Nuu Mobile N5L keeps costs remarkably low for a 5.5-inch phone, but its outdated hardware parts leave no room for excitement.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
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Jessica Dolcourt
2 min read
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Nuu Mobile

If a $130 price tag (that's about £84 or AU$180) on a 5.5-inch phone sounds like it's too good to be true, you might be right. It all depends on how many concessions you're willing to make for an inexpensive Android phone. For me, outdated parts and the past version of Android software on Nuu Mobile's N5L wouldn't make the grade, at least not on paper.

Is it fair to expect this year's Android 6.0 operating system on a bargain device? Maybe, maybe not, but it would give an otherwise meh phone a little sparkle. The one hardware bonus that could counteract the low-powered components could be the two SIM card slots, if you're into that sort of thing. But in general, the N5L's costs are so staggeringly low because the hardware is so entry-level.

The smartphones that matter at CES 2016 (pictures)

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  • 5.5-inch display with 1,280 x 720p screen resolution (267ppi pixel density)
  • 8-megapixel rear camera; 2-megapixel front-facing camera
  • 1GHz MediaTek quad-core processor
  • Dual-SIM card slots
  • 8GB internal storage; 1GB RAM
  • MicroSD card storage for up to 32GB
  • 3,000mAh battery
  • Android 5.1 Lollipop software
  • 4G LTE support for bands 2, 4, 5, 12, 17

Cheap as it is, nothing here looks like it's going to dethrone the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 and Moto G (3rd generation) as our current go-to budget phones, even if they do cost more. Nuu Mobile is also introducing the slightly pricier, slightly higher-end Nuu Mobile X4, which takes on this last summer's Moto G.

Catch all the tech news from CES 2016.